Shinobi for hire
by Shintoshi
Summary: Sasuke, after the final confrontation, falls victim to a rogue. Later, after being released from the hospital, Naruto and the gang head to Ichiraku to cheer up after the defeat only to meet a mysterious ninja who'll do anything for the right price.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

Sasuke panted heavily as he made his way gradually further from both the site where he left Naruto's battered body and Orochimaru's waiting grasp.

_"I'm not going to be anyone's pawn."_ He thought angrily. _"Orochimaru, I won't let you take my Sharingan. Itachi… you won't determine my life anymore than by my own decision to kill you."_

Continuing to stagger, sapped of most of his chakra, a man-shaped form appeared before him.

Hastily reaching for a shuriken, Sasuke observed the man carefully.

Despite the lack of a headband, he found it obvious that his potential adversary was a shinobi. He wore a pair of loose black pants with steel shin guards, a fishnet shirt (not unlike the one Shikamaru always wore), and a pair of lavender painted geta. On his head, he wore an ANBU mask that covered the lower half of his face. His hair was silver with black streaks, tied in a topknot, and of a comparable length to Ino's before the Chuunin exam.

At his side, hung a sheathed katana.

"Who are-" Sasuke managed before the shinobi cut him off.

"Uchiha Sasuke… only surviving member of the Uchiha clan with the exception of Uchiha Itachi who slaughtered all but yourself with ease. A Konoha genin who wishes to pursue his hated sibling." The man stated, his eyes cold as Sasuke's own. "Please let me know if I erred."

Sasuke's eyes went wide momentarily from shock before returning to an icy glare. "Whom do you work for?"

"Work for?" The shinobi laughed. "I work for myself."

Before the laugh finished sounding in his ears, a sharp pain shot through his body and the dirt rose up to meet him.

The man looked down at the unconscious Uchiha and grinned.

"Hey, stop beating yourself up about it, Shikamaru." Naruto demanded as the three stepped from the hospital. "None of us were killed."

Temari nodded in agreement. "Your team also killed presumably five of the Sound's best ninjas."

Shikamaru looked back over his shoulder to where his friends were being kept and continued to drown in a mix of self-pity and self-loathing. "…Arigato…"

The three continued to walk in silence; not even Naruto could manage his usual buoyant behaviour.

"_The hardest part of this will be facing Sakura-chan… I swore that I'd bring him back…"_ Naruto thought unhappily.

A deep growl from his stomach snapped Naruto from his uncharacteristic foul mood. "Ne, how 'bout we grab some ramen?"

"Who's paying?" Temari asked, unwilling to pay for the meal of someone she'd just saved and a generally hyperactive idiot.

Shikamaru muttered something incoherent before raising a hand. "Best I can do to pay you back for saving my life and for losing Sasuke."

Under normal circumstances, Naruto would have had the decency to try and cheer up his comrade. However, free ramen was far from what he'd declare to be "normal circumstances".

They headed for the Ichiraku Ramen stand to find most of those who hadn't come on the mission waiting there.

No one spoke as the three sat down and ordered.

Sakura's conflicting feelings kept her silent; she hated Naruto for not being able to bring Sasuke back, however she knew that he couldn't have done anything more.

Still upset at Sasuke being gone, Ino had been ready to chew out the guys for letting him get away. It was the look of utter humiliation and disappointed on their faces that stayed her tongue.

Hinata considered going to try and help Naruto like she had before the last part of the Chuunin exams. Unfortunately, he had been the one to speak to her at that time and she had no idea how to help him now.

Everyone ate in silence; all hoping someone else would break the unnerving calm.

"Excuse me, but Kakashi's team 7 is here, correct?" A cheerful voice asked from the entrance of the stand.

"Yeah, what d'you want?" Naruto asked between mouthfuls.

"Ah, yokata. I've got something for you… actually, I should say _someone_."

Sakura was the first to turn around and let out a shriek. "Sasuke-kun!"

Various shouts of surprise came from the others. They all turned to release another set of cries.

"H-how did y-you-?" Sakura stammered, tears building in her eyes.

"Well…" The masked man began, scratching the back of his neck with his free arm. "… I was on my way here and I overheard a fight. I saw this guy wandering away, half dead. He was acting hostile so I, unfortunately, had to subdue him." He hesitated momentarily before adding, "Don't worry, I used a medical jutsu to ensure his health."

The limp Sasuke suddenly lost the focus of his peers as everyone eyed the mysterious shinobi with a mixture of reverence and suspicion.

"You said you performed a jutsu." Shikamaru commented. "What village are you from? And, perhaps more importantly, is your presence here not a breach of Konoha's security?" Two pairs of glaring eyes from two angry kunoichis led him to add, "Not that we're not grateful for you returning him…"

The man simply laughed at the rude interrogation. "I'm not from any village. You could say I'm self-taught. As for clearance, don't worry. The Hokage should have already been informed of my presence."

He moved up to the counter and placed his wallet on the counter. "Gomenasai, whatever these guys eat, I'll pay for." The man said, the visible portion of his face revealing a polite smile. "I'll be back as soon as I drop this guy off at the hospital."

Although he disappeared in a puff of smoke the instant his phrase had finished, Naruto had managed to order a half dozen more bowls of ramen before the vanishing act had been completed.

* * *

_This is the first fan fiction I've written. I hope this has been submitted properly (in regards to rating, file, etc). Please offer your opinion, suggestions, or questions, just as long as the writing is intelligible. Based on what I get, I'll try to respond in my updates._

_Let me announce right now, despite how it may seem at the moment, it will become more comical, I just need some time for the transition after such a serious section of the story._


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

"So, what do you think of that guy?" Ino asked, damning her diet and placing another order.

"He's alright!" Naruto cheered. "Free ramen and Sasuke's back."

Sakura nodded in agreement.

"He seems suspicious to me." Shikamaru replied, frowning. "First off, the path the Sound were taking wasn't near any road, therefore he shouldn't have been there. He also seemed to know about Kakashi, his team, and where there could be found, which implies insider knowledge. Lastly, after having helped us, rather than ask for something in return, he leaves a lot of ryou here so that we get a free lunch."

"I ain't complaining." The owner commented, drawing several bills as Naruto ordered on of the most expensive dishes.

"Yeah, that does sound suspicious." Temari agreed. "And he's been gone for what, nearly an hour now?"

Ino and Sakura began bickering with Shikamaru and Temari over the trustworthiness of the mysterious ninja as Naruto continued to exploit the free meal. Not that anyone heard, but Hinata offered her opinion and commented that he had just returned.

"Oi! Sakura-san! Have you heard the news?" A familiar voice shouted.

"Huh? Lee-san? Shouldn't you be at the hospital?" Sakura asked.

"Thick-brows is here?" Naruto asked, unhappily turning from his food. "Eh? Neji, Chouji, and Kiba too? Weren't you three-"

"I took care of that." The ninja said. "I'm pretty good in that area." He turned face the trio that had followed him. "Sorry, but I'm not good enough so you'll stay pretty sore for a while."

"Neji! What are you doing here?" Tenten shouted, running over.

The proud genin took a verbal assault for several minutes before being dragged away by the worried kunoichi.

"So who are you, anyways?" Kiba asked.

"Huh? Ah! Gomenasai, I hadn't realized I forgot to introduce myself. I am Asagin Aiyoru, a wandering… well it's somewhat tricky to explain what it is that I do… you'd better sit down and order something to eat."

Although no one could see because of the counter, the owner of Ichiraku was quivering from the waist down because of the profits.

Once everyone was seated and enjoying a meal, Aiyoru began his explanation.

"I travel from country to country, performing whatever jobs I can find. You could call me a mercenary, but I abhor fighting… maybe contract worker might be a more accurate term. Although since I'm always traveling, I always do some free jobs so that people can see what I'm capable of. Since you guys seem like a nice bunch, I'll do a favour for each of you. This goes for the five that aren't here."

"Five?" Chouji asked.

"Yes… ano… Neji, Tenten, Gaara, Kankuro, and Shino. But for the most part, these won't be asked for by any of you. By the way, I also sell information. So I'll also let each of you ask me, once, anything you want, free of charge.

"How do you know about Shino?" Shikamaru asked, glaring at Aiyoru. "He's not at the village right now, so you shouldn't have any knowledge of him."

"I know all about all of you. You, for example, you're Nara Shikamaru; son of Nara Shikato. You're specialty is the shadow imitation technique. Your favourite pastimes are playing shougi and watching clouds. Your most common phrase is calling something troublesome and you've got a crush on-"

"Oi, oi!" Shikamaru shouted, not wanting the conversation to go any further. "Alright, so you're like Kabuto, then."

"The glasses guy that works for Orochimaru? No, I'm much better than him… I'm also straight."

"Why do you wear that mask?" Ino asked.

Shikamaru breathed a sigh of relief, for now the most likely suspect to ask for that which he didn't want revealed.

Once more, Aiyoru showed signs of smiling behind the ANBU mask. "Well, to put it simply, its because I'm not very popular with women."

"You get slapped a lot?" Naruto asked.

_"Is he more like ero-sannin or Kakashi-sensei…"_ He wondered.

"Not once." He replied, whistling after replying.

"Then why?" Temari asked, intrigued. "Some sort of horrible disfigurement?"

"No, I'm simply a loser, so you could say it has to do with shame or embarrassment."

"Could you take off the mask? On second though, since you could still have something beneath the mask, could you-"

"Don't worry, I've never do anything like that." He said, pulling it off.

There was an ensuing silence as everyone stared, mouth agape, at Aiyoru.

"Not since Kakashi have I seen such a beautiful… erm, I mean, here's your order." The owner of the stand said, placing the bowl and getting back to his job.

"How's that a problem?" Temari asked, sparkly-eyed and blushing.

"Sorry, I already answered a question." He smiled, replacing the mask. "And you just more or less wasted your favour."

_"Says you…"_ She thought, a catlike grin momentarily spreading across her face.

"What country are you from?" Chouji asked after ordering a pork ramen.

"Country? Hoo…" Aiyoru sighed, scratching his forehead. "Let's see… from a place called Ichogo, its near the border of wave country. They make some good sweets there. You want some?"

A line of drool answered his question.

"Good thing I went there recently…" He muttered, rummaging though his sack then tossing a small bag to the salivating genin.

"Oi! Asagin-san, you seem to know Naruto's sensei. Have you-"

"Of course I know Gai! Boy, you sure emulate him closely. You're just a flak vest away from being a chibi bunshin. By the way, Kiba, you got anything to ask?"

"Nah, I'm good."

"Really? Nothing? A strange wanderer appears with Sasuke, master of various unknown techniques, and you don't have anything to ask?" He asked, perplexed as he scribbled something on a piece of paper and folded it.

"Nope, you're not that interesting." Kiba grinned, as he got up and left.

"Suit yourself, you missed your chance." Aiyoru smiled, tossing him the note.

"What's this?"

"Let's see… Haruno Sakura and Hyuuga Hinata. Either of you have anything to ask?" He continued, ignoring the question.

"When will Sasuke-kun be better?" Sakura asked, rather pitifully.

_"Yeesh, Sasuke-kun, Sasuke-kun… what a one-track mind."_ Naruto thought. Incidentally, the same thought had passed through Aiyoru's head at the same moment.

"The Uchiha will be, physically, healthy in a day or two. As for his mental health; who knows. He could get over it right away, or he could be doing messed up things for years. Lastly, how 'bout you, Hinata-sama?"

Her face became beet red at the respectable suffix given by a complete stranger. "N-no…" She replied, staring at the counter and twiddling her fingers.

"Well, I guess that's everyone. Well, I've got to go and find a place to stay. So I guess I'll need my wallet back."

Picking up the now lightweight pouch, he cast a lingering look at Naruto, and the substantial pile of bowls stacked in front of him.

Grinning, he shook his head and disappeared in a puff of smoke.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

"Gya" Naruto cried, leaning back and patting his distended stomach. "That was better then when I get Iruka-sensei to pay for it."

Unbeknownst to them, far away, Iruka sneezed.

"He's an interesting guy." Temari said.

_"I wonder how rich he is."_ She thought.

"I hope he's got some cool jutsu's I can get off of him." Naruto grinned.

"He charges people for everything he does. For something good, he'll probably ask for more money than you've got." Shikamaru muttered, disappointed that he hadn't ordered some more food.

_"Is Sasuke-kun is awake yet?"_ Sakura wondered, getting up and starting for the hospital.

"I wonder if Gai-sensei knows him well, and if they're rivals!" Lee shouted, excited at the thought of his sensei besting yet another ninja.

"I'd like to know what he meant by doing us favours that we don't ask for." Ino added, eyeing Shikamaru momentarily before realizing that Sakura had left.

_"Ah!"_ She screamed inwardly. _"That big forehead has gone to see Sasuke-kun without me! Like hell I'll let her!"_

With that, she took off running to her family's flower shop.

Kiba walked aimlessly around town until he remembered the paper that Aiyoru had given him.

_"What the hell could that guy have to tell me?"_

Unfolding the note, he began reading.

"Let's see… 'To answer your, unvoiced, question' blah, blah, blah… 'you don't stand a chance'? What the hell?" Kiba growled, continuing to read. "'She's interested in Naruto, so give up on Hinata'! How the hell did he… 'so here's my favour to you. Go to 264 Kogetsu Ave. There's a girl there named Kumi. She likes animals, is similar to Hinata, though scares easily. Stop by, she's looking forward to meeting you'?"

He flipped the note over a couple of times and wondered what to do.

_"Ah hell, it's not like I've got anything to lose… similar to Hinata… likes animals… but scares easily… guess I'd better hold back at first."_

_"Damn it."_ Sasuke thought as he awakened and rubbed the back of his neck. _"That guy was too fast."_

"Sasuke-kun? Are you alright?" A familiar voice asked.

Opening his eyes, he saw the familiar pink-haired kunoichi and part-time stalker. Suddenly his eyes went wide and starry. "Ah! Sakura-chan! I love your dress!"

Sakura stared at him, dumbstruck. _"Is he actually complementing me?"_

"Ah, arigato Sasuke-kun."

"Where did you get it? I'd love one!"

A sweat drop fell down Sakura's forehead. "N-nani?"

He began rambling on about "feeling pretty" as well as asking various questions about shopping. When he got to asking about bras, Sakura decided it best to leave; as she ran out of the room screaming in horror.

_"I wonder what that screaming was about?"_ Aiyoru pondered from the other side of town.

Having rented an apartment, he moved near the Hyuuga residence, found the highest building of the neighbourhood, and laid in wait atop the roof.

Ino entered Sasuke's hospital room and grinned at the lack of a certain pink-haired kunoichi.

He noticed her after a minute and smiled. _"Maybe she could tell me where Sakura buys her clothes…"_

As far as Ino was concerned, the smile was a good sign. "Feeling better Sasuke-kun?"

He nodded. "Yeah, Sakura was here a while ago… though she was acting really strange."

_"Damn big-forehead… she beat me to him…"_

"Why, what happened?" Ino asked, sitting down beside his bed.

"She left screaming for some odd reason. Anyways… as you know, I don't really hang around with any girls other than Sakura… but ever since that 'incident' with Naruto back when we graduated…"

_"Hee hee… I know what he's getting at." _She thought wickedly. _"He must want to do something to get rid of all those rumours some of my competitors have been spreading. And Sakura got nervous and ran out. Well her loss is my gain."_

"Alright, I think I understand…" Ino said, leaning forwards.

"Ah, that's great. 'Cause I really wanted to know where-"

Sasuke's babbling was cut off as Ino mashed lips with him.

_"Um… this is strange. First Sakura-san freaks out and now this one is doing something as disgusting and unnatural as…"_

"Well, there you go." Ino giggled, getting up. "I'll see you around."

He watched her happily skip from the room and felt like crying. _"I just want to buy a pretty dress. Is that too much to ask?"_

Iruka looked out the classroom window and sighed. _"Other than a sneeze, I've been completely forgotten…"_

Tears began streaming down his face as he grabbed his head and began thrashing about in front of his class.

"Ah! Why don't I get some face time! I can be strong! I can be entertaining! Make me the hero!" He screamed. "I'll do anything! I'm not shameful!"

A sweat drop slid down the head of everyone in the class.

Konohamaru turned to Moegi. "That's how many now?"

"Fourth time today, Konohamaru-chan."

"Wait!" Iruka screamed. "Please focus on-"

His target approached the Hyuuga residence, as expected. Carefully dropping to the streets, he waved hello.

"Oi, Hinata-sama. Finished training for the day?"

She took a step back and nodded. "S-since everyone's gone there wasn't any practice. I was also too worried to…"

"You were too worried about your precious little Naruto-kun. Right?"

"H-how did you-"

"Don't worry! Relax…" He said softly. "As I said before. I know all about all of you. But… even if I didn't know that beforehand, it was obvious. You kept glancing over at him, blushing, and looking away. Doesn't seem like you've managed to get anywhere with those feelings, though."

She blushed and began playing with her fingers.

"Well… that's going to have to change."

"N-nani?" She stammered, looking at him rather than her fingers.

"Again, relax." He smiled, not that she could see. "I'm in favour of you two pairing up. Do you remember how I said I'd do everyone a favour?"

Hinata nodded.

"I don't lie. It's time someone set the wheels in motion. That is my gift to you."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

"G-gift? Naruto-k-kun?" She stammered, playing with her fingers and blushing furiously.

_"Kawaii!"_ He thought, blushing from beneath his mask. _"So innocent…"_

"What a-are y-you going to…"

"Don't worry about what I'll be doing… well, I'll let you know if you need to get involved in any way. Until the time comes when you two are an item, it'd be best if you learned how to make ramen well. You know how giddy he gets over it."

Hinata nodded.

"I'll contact you again." Aiyoru said with a bow before blinking out of sight.

_"Hmm… let's see… this _is_ the address…"_ Kiba thought, looking from the paper to the house number and back again. _"He said she was looking forward to meeting me, right? I guess that saves me from an awkward introduction."_

The front door creaked open and a Hinata look-alike peeked out. "Ano, are you Kiba-kun?"

He stared agape at what he could have sworn was the original Hinata. "Kumi?"

She nodded.

_"The resemblance is… scary…"_ He thought.

"Yeah, I'm Kiba. A guy named Aiyoru said you wanted to meet me… you like animals, right?" He asked, holding up a quivering Akamaru.

Kumi let out a soft squeal and began stroking the dog. "Kawaii! Um… would you like to come in?"

_"Wow, this is going well."_ Kiba thought as he nodded and entered the small building.

As he was entering, Akamaru began whining.

"Huh? What is it, boy? Run? Run for my life? 'For the sake of Kami-sama why aren't you running'? What's gotten into you boy?"

The door closed behind him and Kumi looked up at him, blushing. "You k-know how to perform the beast technique, right?"

He nodded.

A smile slowly spread across her face and her eyes began to shine. "Could you show me it, please?"

Naruto slowly made his way back to his apartment. It wasn't that he didn't want get home sooner, since after such a large meal all he wanted was sleep, it was that he couldn't.

_"You know, kid, I could give you some of my chakra so that you could get home sooner if you, say, killed the next person you see."_ Kyuubi offered.

_"Shut up you stupid fox, I'm not killing anyone."_ Naruto replied mentally.

"Sakura?" Mrs. Haruno asked. "Yes, she's up in her room. Go on up."

"Arigato." Ino smiled, walking up the stairs to Sakura's room.

"_So that's what her mom looks like…"_

"Ne, Sakura, have you kissed Sasuke-kun yet?" Ino asked haughtily, as she opened the door, only to find a sight that stole the mirth from her.

Sakura was sitting on her bed, head between her knees, rocking to and fro, in a catatonic trance. When Ino moved closer, she could make out that her rival was whispering.

"No… Sasuke-kun… not the dress… no… you're not… you can't… no… after all this time… you wanted to… you're joking… tell me it's not… Sasuke-kun… no…"

It wasn't until after several minutes of being poked in the head with a pencil did the kunoichi realize she had a guest.

"Sakura, have you ever kissed Sasuke-kun?" she repeated.

"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked before screaming.

"Ow, damn it. Give me a warning next time you do that. None the less, I'll take that as a no."

"I don't think any of us will… not now…"

"Too bad, Sakura. I just kissed him a while ago."

_"Then was it all a joke?"_ she wondered. _"But he was so serious… well, straight faced anyways… Maybe he's just somehow become interested in cross-dressing… I guess that's manageable. Wait… Ino-pig…"_

"You what!" Sakura screamed.

Although he had secretly enjoyed the attention he had received from Tenten, there was still only so much the proud ivory-eyed genin could take.

_"Finally, I got away from her… now for some peace and-"_

"Neji-sama, I need to speak with you."

_"Kuso! I've been caught already?"_ He thought angrily, looking over his shoulder.

To both his surprise and relief, it was the new guy. "What do you want?"

"I apologize for bothering you, but what would be your reaction if Hinata-sama began dating Naruto?"

Neji stared at him silently for a few minutes before sighing. "Well… I don't need to worry about that since she's not brave enough to confess and he's too stupid to pick up on anything other short of an outright confession."

"But if that were to happen? What would your reaction be?"

He thought about if for a few minutes. "Like I said, he's too stupid. Now that I don't hold a grudge against the main branch, I'm not going to let such a thing happen."

"Even though he's an honest and reliable guy? He defeated you, after all."

"But for anything other than fighting, he's incompetent."

"Whether you accept it or not, it will happen." Aiyoru replied.

Neji's eyes narrowed to slits. "I'll stop it."

"I can free you." The foreign shinobi said simply. "Just remove your forehead protector and I'll free you."

"There isn't a jutsu capable of removing it." Neji glared.

"Then there's not a problem, is here?"

Sighing, he removed it and let Aiyoru examine the pattern.

"It never ceases to amaze me how these things never deteriorate… alright, here it goes…"

With a quick strike of the palm to the forehead, Neji's world went black as he collapsed to the earth.

"I have to leave you now." Aiyoru said, knowing that the unconscious ninja could not hear him. "Don't worry, Tenten will find you shortly."

"Ah… finally home…" Naruto sighed, unlocking the door to his apartment.

"Uzumaki Naruto!" He heard a booming voice shout from down the hall. "I've something important that needs to be done!"

_"Kuso! That sounds like the new guy! He must be pissed that I ate so much!"_

_"Let me kill him! Then there'll be no worries… that's right… dance puppet dance!"_

_"First thing, kitsune-baka, I heard that part about me being a puppet. Second, I'm not killing anyone!"_

_"Damn!"_

"It's time I take care of that _favour_ I promised." Aiyoru laughed evilly.

"Stay away, or I'll kick your ass!" Naruto threatened.

"Hey! Don't be so cold! I was going to teach you some of my jutsu."

"What? Really? Sugoi! When?"

"Starting tomorrow. I'll meet you out here as soon as you're awake."

"Glee!" Naruto squealed.

"Oh, and by the way, it looks like we're neighbours." Aiyoru added, unlocking the door next to Naruto's room.

* * *

_Now for a note from the author. _

_Naruto is copyright its respective owner(s), I in no way possess rights to it, additional legal wavering and obligatory statements, etc. If this was necessary, I apologize for not having written it sooner. Do I only need to do it once, or each time?_

_To all who have or are reading my story, I thank you.Special thanks to all those who taking the time to give me a review._

_**KawaiiMisha-san** - You don't know the half of it._

_**KunochiDreamer** - I assume you mean Asagin Aiyoru. I agree, he's certainly an enigmatic character. I'm glad you're enjoying the story._

_**TragicallyLate**- Thank you for spotting the typo in my summary._

_**writerlover101** & **Gohen-fire**- Hope you're still reading._


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

After a peaceful night's rest, the morning sun shone brightly into Aiyoru's eyes.

_"Ah, nice and early. Naruto ought to still be sound asleep."_ He thought to himself as he dressed.

Opening the window, he saw a familiar dark-haired genin relying on a large stick to walk.

Kiba looked up and noticed the familiar, though hidden, face. "Damn you! I'll kill you, you bastard!"

_"I guess he met Kumi."_ Aiyoru thought.

"So, how'd things go between you two?" He shouted back.

"What the hell! You said she scares easily!"

"…Yeah?"

"She's not normal! Even if I were eighteen, what she was trying to do isn't right!"

"…So…"

"Aren't you listening? That girl's crazy! I won't be able to sleep without nightmares for the rest of the month!"

"So you're horrified. Like I said, she scares easily. You should have been prepared."

"I'll get you for this." Kiba growled as he continued to limp away.

Aiyoru simply smiled and turned back to the inside of the room. He rummaged through his bag until he found a ninja scroll, a DVD case, a carton of smokes, and a small case.

"Nee! Ramen!" Naruto moaned from the room over.

_"Hmm… a moan followed by the word 'ramen'… seven minutes before he wakes up_

Naruto sat up in bed, sleepily rubbing his eyes. "Ha… I wonder when I'll get to learn those new jutsu. Ah well, first something to eat…"

Getting out of bed, he moved to his cupboards and selected one of his vintage pork cup ramen.

In an instant it had disappeared and he was out the door, ready to break down his new sensei's door to begin the lessons.

Once he had taken a step from his room, Naruto felt a tap on his shoulder and looked up to find Aiyoru.

"Right on time, Naruto. Today, you're going to show me your techniques so I can make some better ones."

"Heh? Better?"

Aiyoru let it show that he was smiling before he headed for the exit.

After carefully applying makeup and putting on his new, sexy red dress, Sasuke was ready to face the day.

"Hmm… maybe I should dye my hair too… then I'd look even more like… no, this'll do for now…" He thought to himself, posing in front of his mirror. "Well, I've got some shopping to do if I want this to work."

Sakura, Ino, and the rest of the Sasuke-kun fan club members (which consisted of nearly the ruling portion of girls that age in the village along with a couple guys) to wait for Sasuke to do his weekly shopping.

Although no longer terribly concerned about her conversation with Sasuke the other day, Sakura still jumped whenever she saw a slightly effeminate man.

"Holy crap, there's a lot of guys that look like girly in this town, now that I think about it." Sakura moaned, looking around. "Hey, Shikamaru has long hair, doesn't he? What's he like with it down?"

"Sexy." Ino replied without thinking. "I-I mean! For him, err… hey! Doesn't that kunoichi look like Sasuke-kun?"

"Huh? Which one?" Sakura asked, feeling nervous once more.

"That one over there. The one that everyone is keeping away from." Ino pointed.

At that moment, the target turned around and smiled. "Ah! It's my fun club. Looks smaller than normal. Some of you girls get tired and leave?"

The major portion of following froze out of horror, although there were nonetheless a few squeals of joy.

"Ah! I know! Temari is missing. Well, I don't care. Oh, Ino, about yesterday, I never got to ask my question, but don't worry, I decided to go without them."

"T-them?" Ino asked.

"Panties, I feel so free without them!" Sasuke squealed.

At that moment, more than half of the members of the fan club tore their membership cards in half in unison while the remaining members became even more obsessed than ever.

"By the way, do any of you know a good ramen recipe? I want to make it some for someone special."

"Really, who?" Ino asked, trying her hardest to not run away screaming.

"Naruto-kun! Need you even ask? He's just so cuddly cute and huggable! And ever since we kissed I-"

"Wait, since then? But you hated him then! After that happened, you gargled liquid soap in the academy's washroom." Ino shouted.

"And again that night back at your apartment at ten-forty." Sakura added.

"And once more at three in the morning." Ino finished.

"Well… yeah…" Sasuke replied, looking away. "But I wasn't thinking clearly back then! Naruto-kun, wait for me!"

Kakashi couldn't help but kick and scream as the pitiful little man continued to cling to his arm.

"Damn it, Iruka!" He screamed. "Look, just because some of your students wrote a story about us, doesn't mean it's going to happen! Let go before I'm forced to used Konoha's ultimate taijutsu technique!"

"But I'm so unpopular!" Iruka cried. "And you're so cool and sexy! Like this I'm bound to get a bit more face time!"

"We've been over this before! Don't make me get the spray bottle!"

He hesitated for a moment before continuing to cling as if his life depended on it.

"That's it!" Kakashi screamed, grabbing a water bottle with a squirt nozzle and began spraying him.

"Eek! No! Ah!" Iruka howled, recoiling from the mist and running of in fear.

"Damn right you better run! Don't even think about coming back! I can reload from any tap or fountain in town!"

"Kage bunshin and rasengan… not much of a collection. Although, if you summon Gamabunta, you don't need to worry about anything else." Aiyoru muttered, staring at the Narutos in front of him with the whirling winds in the palm of one hand.

"So, how are you going to make these better?"

"That will take me no more than a week, but until then I'll train you. You'll want to increase your stamina and other primary abilities."

Naruto gave him a confused look. "Primary?"

"Should have expected that." Aiyoru sighed. "Primary, such as speed and strength."

"Okay, but stamina? Everyone says I'm the number one hyperactive ninja as it is!"

"Alright, we'll have a contest. Using all of your chakra, make as many kage bunshins as you can. I'll do the same. If you can even match me, I'll teach you every last one of my techniques and give you a million ryou. That'll get you out of your apartment and eating ramen for a long time."

At the mention of eating ramen, Naruto began gathering all of his chakra.

"You better give me all you got, you damn kitsune!" Naruto thought angrily.

_"Heh, I'll have to put some effort into this."_ Aiyoru thought, as he began to mold his chakra.

* * *

_Hello once again. I'd have updated sooner, but since I hadn't gotten any comments as of late, I figured no one was reading. I've got a couple more chapters finished in advance, but I don't want to post them all at once._

_I've got another story or three that I'd like to post but they're original (not fan fictions)and I don't know if there's a section for that kind. Can anyone let me know, please?_

_Next, a question for the readers: What creature (not necessarily an animal) should be associated with Aiyoru? I'd appreciate your vote._

_Thank you for reading, there will be more later._


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

As both shinobi finalized their jutsu and revealed the fruit of their work, a flood of smoke overtook the training area in which they stood.

The smoke slowly lifted and Naruto looked around with a feeling of superiority. As far as he could see, there was nothing but his bunshin. However, once visibility returned to normal, he couldn't help but gape in amazement.

"Just because you have the Kyuubi, doesn't mean you can lose in a competition of chakra." Aiyoru replied from somewhere amongst his army. "I believe the count is three hundred and twelve to six hundred and seventy four."

Having seen a large amount of smoke rising, and from where people had seen him heading, the blond kunoichi took off.

"Oh, Kiba-kun!" A horribly familiar voice called from outside his window.

Akamaru began to whine as Kiba looked for a way to escape.

"I know, I know. Don't worry; I'll get us out of here. We'll slip out the other side of the house after we grab some supplies." Kiba whispered. "I can't believe that bastard gave her our home address…"

Hastily grabbing all the ryou he could find and filling his pack with food, Kiba leapt from the window of his sister's room and onto his neighbour's roof.

"Kiba-kun!" A nauseatingly sweet voice sounded from before him.

"No! Kami-sama, no!" He screamed, putting his hands together to mold chakra. "Stay back or else!"

Akamaru barked in agreement and performed the beast technique at the same time as Kiba.

"Eee! Two of Kiba-inu-kun!" She shouted happily, dashing towards him.

"You asked for it!" He yelled, swinging a clawed hand at her head.

Before the attack connected Kumi ducked then sprang up, chakra flowing from her fingertips.

A finger brushed his forehead protector before Akamaru's head connected with her ribs, causing her to slide to the edge of the roof.

"Alright, Akamaru! Let's get out of here!" Kiba yelled, dropping a handful of smoke bombs.

"What I want you to do each day is to expend… use all of your chakra this same way. By doing so, you'll increase your capacity. You'll also train by having your kage bunshins fight against mine until the last man standing so that you can become better at fighting. Are you ready to begin?" Aiyoru asked.

"Hell ya!" All the Naruto bunshins screamed.

"I want one!" I familiar voice screamed, attacking the nearest bunshin.

A sweat bead rolled down the heads of all the Narutos and Aiyorus, resulting in minor flooding.

"Would you mind letting go?" Aiyoru asked.

"No! It's mine!" Temari yelled, strengthening her grip on the bunshin."

"I can make it disappear at any time. So if you're going to want to keep him, it'll cost you twenty ryou an hour."

She dragged him over to the real Aiyoru, placed a hundred ryou in his hands, and ran off.

A several wisp of smoke revealed that Naruto had begun the battle.

Sasuke stopped for the eightieth time that day to pose for obsessive fan girls and boys so that they could take pictures.

"Poo, at this rate, I'll never get to practice making ramen for my precious Naruto-kun…" He pouted. "If it was a few months ago, I'd have been able to just tie him up but now…"

"Ah! What do we have here? Such a cute little girl." An idiotic sounding voice said from behind.

Sasuke turned around and both he and the speaker screamed.

"Jiraiya!"

"Uchiha! It… wait a minute, when did you-"

"Ah! You're the one who wanted Naruto to stay as a girl!" He growled, lowering himself into a fighting stance.

"For the love of Kami-sama! Either put on a longer skirt, wear something under it, or stop standing like that!" Jiraiya screamed, covering his eyes. "And I never said he needed to stay like that forever, just when he was around me…"

"Oh… okay…"

"Good thing he didn't ask how I knew about that…" Sasuke thought.

"By the way, you've been in a hot spring at the same time as Naruto… what's it-"

"Will you look at the time!" Jiraiya screamed. "I'll be back in under a month to take Naruto away for training."

With that, he was gone in a puff of smoke.

"Aw, I never have any luck…"

With a presentable, steaming bowl of ramen in front of her, Hinata couldn't help but feel proud.

"…Who can I ask to eat it?" She wondered.

She thought of asking her father, but decided against him receiving any advance warning of her plans. This also meant Hanabi wasn't an option. It would have to be someone that lived at the Hyuuga household but didn't care about the private life of someone from the main branch. On that thought, Neji came to mind instantly.

Using a tray to carry the bowl and the Byakugan to find his position, Hinata quickly reached him.

"Ano, Neji-san… could you try this… onegai…"

He took the bowl and began eating.

Although nervous, Hinata waited patiently for a reply.

After finishing the meal, he placed the bowl back down on the tray and leaned back. "It's all right. I wouldn't be surprised if he liked it."

Hinata's face went red. "H-how… did you…"

"That Aiyoru guy told you to do this, right?"

She nodded, dumbfounded.

"You may want to get some advice from the guy at Ichiraku Ramen, he could tell you what that guy likes the most."

"Arigatou… ano… Neji-san, how did you know?"

Neji grinned. "You're always staring at him and he's always eating ramen. Aiyoru… I knew he was involved since he confronted me about you two the other day. After all, I was opposed to you two. Not anymore, though."

"Why?"

He moved his forehead protector enough so that she could see that the cursed seal was absent. "Don't tell anyone, but that guy got rid of it."

Hinata smiled, nodded, and headed back to the kitchen.

The fighting finally over, Naruto couldn't help but feel embarrassed. While his bunshin all gone, his opponent still had nearly six hundred remaining.

"You alright?" Aiyoru asked, releasing all un-rented bunshin.

Despite his terrible defeat, gasping for air, and was sweating profusely, he simply smiled and gave a thumbs up. "I'll… beat… you one… day…"

"Not today. I'll buy you a bowl of ramen. But first tell me, what do you think of Hinata?"

* * *

_No more reviews? Guess I'll just keep posting every so often like this._

_If anyone is reading, could you please answer any of my questions in the previous chapter?_


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

Naruto looked dumbfounded, more so than usual. "Eeh? What's Hinata got to do with ramen?"

Aiyoru sighed as he wiped away a sweat bead. "She doesn't have anything to do with ramen. Just tell me what you think of her."

"Eeh? Well I used to think she was a dark, weird girl, but now… well… she's still weird, and Neji is why she's so gloomy." He shrugged. "She's nice, I guess."

"Nice? You guess? Didn't she offer to help you during the first part of the chuunin exam and give you some medicine during the preliminaries?"

He nodded. "Yeah, so… hey! How'd you know that?"

"Ramen." Aiyoru replied flatly.

"Woot!" Naruto cried, immediately forgetting his previous question.

"Don't you think she's cute? A shy little blushing girl?"

It was now Naruto's turn to sigh. "I think I finally get what you're saying."

"It's about time…"

He pointed a finger at Aiyoru. "You're a lolicon!"

A cloud of dust was kicked up as Aiyoru's face met the ground.

"I'm not a lolicon!" He screamed.

"Then why are you talking about Hinata? You keep saying weird things!"

"Because it's unusual! You used to chase after Sakura all the time, even though she'd beat the crap out of you, berate you, and go after Sasuke! Meanwhile, there's an innocent girl who obviously admires you and isn't obsessed with Sasuke who you completely ignore. Ah! I get it, you're a masochist!"

Naruto's face promptly hit the ground. "I'm not! If it's so obvious, I'll ask a couple of people and see if they know. You can buy me ramen later!" He yelled, running off.

Cheering inwardly, Aiyoru grabbed his pack and continued with his errands.

"Hey! That looks like Sasuke-kun!" A fan girl shouted, pointing at a laundromat. "I have to get a picture of his new… damn, he's normal again."

Sasuke looked out the window of the building to see a disappointed girl walking away. Looking back at the washing machine filled with his dresses, he signed. "All that dirt… and he was so close…"

Bells sounded from the entrance, followed by a well-known loudmouth's voice. "Oi! Sasuke! I've got to ask you something!"

His heart skipped a beat. "Ah! He's come! But… aw, just my luck that I'm in these old clothes…"

"Do you know if Hinata admires me?"

Taken aback momentarily, Sasuke quickly grinned as he noticed an opening. "Well, yes… she does admire you, but she's not interested in you. Whereas, I-"

Before he could finish, Naruto was already out the door.

"Alright, that's one down, now I'll ask someone from her team. I know Shino is out of town, so… Kiba!"

Turning a corner he felt the sharp pain as a feral pair slammed into him.

"Itai, damn it! Watch where you're… Kiba! I was looking for you. Do you know if Hinata admires-"

"Hinata is mine!" He shouted. "Now get out of my way! I'm in a hurry!"

Being pushed aside, a few seconds later, another familiar face showed up.

"Ano, which way did Kiba-kun go?"

Naruto pointed and watched her run off.

"Hinata-san?"

Kakashi quickly grabbed the squirt bottle as he heard a knock on his door. Making sure it was full; he opened the door a crack.

"Awfully cautious, aren't you Kakashi-sama?" The masked ninja asked.

"Hmm? 'Sama'? Do I know you?"

A thin box was slid in through the crack.

Kakashi took one brief look at the box and threw open the door. "Friend! What can I do for you?"

"Nothing at all. I just heard you were a fan of the novels. Enjoy." Aiyoru replied, walking away.

Watching the silver and black-haired man walk away, his hands began to tremble as his gaze fell to the DVD case. In one fluid motion, the door was closed and locked, the case was opened, the DVD was slid into the player, and Kakashi's eyes were glued to the screen as the special edition Come Come Paradise movie began.

"Get off me, damn it!" Asuma growled, sliding on his weapons. "I've got an image to maintain. If she finds out about this…"

The first punch hit the clingy shinobi between the shoulder blades.

"Itai! But you're the best jounin after Kakashi! And that damn squirt bottle is always around…"

Punches number two and three landed before someone walked in on the awkward scene.

"Oh shit…" Asuma muttered. "I swear, if this gets out, I'm going to-"

A crackle of chakra flew from the third man's fingers and leapt onto Iruka, felling him instantly. "He's got issues. At least he's not going after the children."

Asuma nodded. "If this gets out, I'll kill you… who are you, anyways?"

A large box of high-grade cigarettes was passed to him.

"Hey! They don't make this brand anymore. How'd you get a hold of 'em, buddy?"

"Large bribe." Aiyoru replied simply. "By the way, you're now doing well with Kurenai-sama."

"Heh? Why, what'd you do?"

"Diamond pendant; said it was from you. By the way, it reacts to the chakra I just put into Iruka. If he gets within five meters of the pendant, he'll receive powerful electrical shocks."

"Nice job… this is going to cost me, isn't it?"

He was handed a stack of cards.

"Asagin Aiyoru, I'll do anything for the right price. Current residence: room next to Naruto. Hand those out to your friends; I need the publicity."

"997, 998, 999, 1000!" Lee counted, as he finished kicking the log. "I wonder what he's going to do for me. I heard that he somehow managed to get Neji to go steady with Tenten… maybe…"

"He'll convince Sakura-san to go out with me!" He shouted.

"No, that's not going to be your favour." A voice called from the branches overhead.

"Huh? Then what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to save you from a horrible fate."

"But… Sakura-san!"

"Trust me, everything will go well… well… maybe not for one man, but otherwise… have you heard what happened to Sasuke?"

"You mean how he's now a cross dresser that seems to be in love with Naruto?"

"That's right."

"You'd have to be an utter moron not to realize that." Lee replied, getting back to his exercises.

All of a sudden, Naruto couldn't help but sneeze. Scratching his head, he entered Ichiraku Ramen and ordered a bowl.

"Don't worry about paying for this, the new guy said he'd cover your first bowl."

"Itakimasu!" Naruto giggled, breaking apart a pair of chopsticks.

Before he began eating, he looked to his left and noticed a familiar, blushing face.

"Hinata?"

* * *

_Here's the next chapter, dedicated to my friends and those who asked me to update._

_**thief-uchia**:I'm glad you're enjoying it; with this support I'll be sure to write until the end. I like the suggestions, I'll be sure to use one of the two._

_**KunochiDreamer**: This soon enough? Thank you for your support._

_**Alixen**: Actually, before you wrote me, I didn't even know what "Gary-Stu" meant. "Every sentance with him makes me wince"... is this a good thing or a bad thing? I have to ask the same thing about the 'award'. I know Aiyoru is pretty much a power-house but hey, he has to be good enough to train Naruto.Remember, the strongest lives only to have his title stolen. Any how, I'm glad you're enjoying it._

_On a side note: GLEE!Manga chapter 245 of Naruto is out!_

_Still wondering if original stories can be posted_


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8:

Naruto stared at her, surprised that he'd have run into her at Ichiraku Ramen. "What are you doing here?"

Her face turned a deeper shade of red and she stammered her response until the owner stepped in.

"She spent the day here to learn how to make ramen."

"Heh? But I saw you not too long ago, chasing down Kiba."

"Kiba-kun?" She asked, confused; her face losing its flushed color.

"She's been here for most of the day." The owner repeated.

He scratched his head, dumbfounded as always._ "Sure looked like her…"_

"Hey, Hinata-san, are you going out with Kiba?"

Immediately, the red was back. "N-n-no, h-he's just a f-friend."

"Really? You're not interested in someone else, are you?"

That question was more than the girl could take; she immediately took off, running down the streets for home.

_"Nani? Why'd she get so upset?"_ He wondered,_ "Course, she's always been shy and I guess most people would be embarrassed by a question like that…"_

* * *

"Hokage-sama, there have been reports of a strange, unauthorized shinobi in Konoha. What are your orders?" 

Tsunade looked up at the ANBU standing in her office. Hastily pulling a document from her face and wiping away the drool, she tried to gain some measure of composure. "Have Kakashi look into it. Handle this visitor in whatever way Kakashi judges appropriate."

"Understood!" The ANBU replied, disappearing in a flicker.

* * *

Hinata sat in her room, her heart still racing from her encounter with Naruto. He had actually asked her if she was interested in someone. _"Has he actually noticed me?"_

"You're quite despondent, Hinata-sama." A familiar voice said from behind her. "A troublesome meeting with Naruto perhaps?"

She turned her head towards the sound and bolted to her feet. Before her 'stood' Aiyoru; though his appearance was hazy.

"Don't fear; I'm only a messenger in this form. It's a combination of bunshin along with a mist technique. There is a slight difference from standard bunshin, but in short, I have no tangible form like this."

"Why are you here?"

"The first phase is almost complete. All I need to do is finish planting the seeds in Naruto's mind then wait for them to grow. After that, phase two can begin. Until then, keep practicing; you may also want to work up some confidence so you'll be able to manage speaking to Naruto after this plan is complete."

* * *

The following morning, Naruto met with Aiyoru for practice looking mighty smug. 

"I asked a couple of people and neither of them said Hinata'-chan' likes me. You were wrong."

"Chan? I've never called her Hinata-chan. That's your term of endearment, not mine."

"Endear… hey! I told you before-"

"Why is it that you brought this up, anyways? I only wanted to train you. But since you brought it up yourself, I may as well humor you. You always deny that you have any feelings towards her, then why did you get so upset when Neji defeated her during the chuunin exams?"

"If you know about that, then you should know _how_ he beat her. He tried to kill her _and_ break her spirit. She was bad off enough without someone trying to break her down ever further."

"I see, so it was done out of compassion. You do care."

"No! You're not listening!"

"I understand perfectly. You have strong morals; you believe a victory is all that someone needs in a fight. It's wrong to win _and_ humiliate the opponent. Am I correct?"

Naruto nodded.

"You also have very protective instincts. Those who are weaker than yourself or those that can't protect themselves, you want to keep them safe."

"That's right."

"Hinata-sama, though not _weak_, she breaks down in a fight. That, in addition to your morals and how she was defeated, you jumped in to avenge her."

"Yep."

"Isn't it true that any honorable man would protect his precious person?"

"That's right... wait, where are you going with this?"

"If Sasuke, or better yet, Shino, had suffered such a shocking defeat, would you have gotten as enraged as you had with Hinata? Would you have taken an oath by their blood? You don't need to answer that one, just think about it."

He nodded. _"Shit… he's right about that last part…"_

"We won't have any training today, as I have more or less completed the new technique. I'll demonstrate it, and then I'll discuss why you're doing so poorly against me in the sparring."

_"Just what I want to hear, 'I'm better than you, and here's why'."_

Walking a few meters away from Naruto, Aiyoru began gathering chakra. Naruto watched him for nearly a minute before something happened.

At first, it was only a quick flicker of blue running along the ground, leaving a small grove. After a few more seconds, the flickers became constant, and by two minutes, he appeared as if he were inside a rasengan.

"Well, what do you think?"

Naruto stared at him, slack-jawed, before shouting: "That's it? All you did was rip-off Neji's technique and make it worse!"

"Give me a break!" Aiyoru shouted back. "I learned the rasengan, came up with a variation, and got it working in three days. If I had time to properly master the technique, I could do it a lot faster. Besides, the only similarity is how the two look. Notice that I'm not spinning like Neji does. Also, try throwing a stone."

Grinning, Naruto grabbed the largest rock he could find and throw, and sent it towards Aiyoru. It hit the rasengan barrier and instantly disappeared.

"That's the other difference. Unlike Neji's, which repels attacks, this one destroys them. If this could be activated precisely enough, an opponent would be killed in their first melee attack."

"Sugoi!" Naruto shouted. "When will I learn it?"

"Patience. For now, I'm going to tell you why it is you've been doing so poorly against me in our sparring."

"Yeah, yeah. You're stronger than me, I get it."

"Wrong." Aiyoru said, much to his surprise. "Although that is true, it's not enough for the difference in our training. As you know, the kage bunshin divides all remaining chakra among the bodies."

"So? You make more than me… you've got that much chakra?"

"It also takes chakra to create them. As Ebisu has told you, you waste a lot of chakra because of your inefficiency; that's why you're not strong enough to learn the new technique. I, like medic ninjas, have perfect control, so nothing goes to waste. With Kyuubi-"

"Kitsune-baka."

"With Kitsune-baka, you've got a greater chakra supply than I have, but when you use kage bunshin, you're losing most of it from performing the technique. Therefore, I am given the upper hand."

"So if I improve my chakra control, I'd beat you?"

"Well… no, your fighting strategy is still terrible."

"What's wrong with attacking head on?"

Aiyoru sighed.

* * *

For the next couple weeks, Naruto trained hard; trying desperately to defeat Aiyoru and to get strong enough to use the new technique. 

He kept expecting his tutor to banter about Hinata, but was surprised each day as he made no mention of her. This subtle difference in his behaviour, and the last conversation they did have on that topic, left Naruto thinking about it even more.

In the mean time, Kiba kept running from Kumi, Hinata improved her cooking, Temari continued to rent Aiyoru (despite the protests of her brothers), and Sasuke kept trying to meet up with Naruto. Tsunade, had begun getting impatient.

"You _still_ haven't found Kakahsi?"

"Gomen, Hokage-sama, but he's nowhere to be found." The ANBU replied.

"You've checked his usual hangouts?"

"Yes, we checked every bookstore and all rooftops. It would also seem that Ebisu is nowhere to be found. I tried asking Iruka but he went off about a spray bottle… or something. Then he tried to do… um, something to my leg. He's been sedated and placed in the hospital; it's advised that you take care of his condition personally."

"Alright, but you'd better find Kakashi. If you can't find him by the end of the day, get one of the other jounin to take care of it."

* * *

That night, Hinata was visited by the mist bunshin once more. 

"The seeds have sprouted. I can hear him through the walls of his apartment, muttering about it. It is now time for phase two to begin. Are you prepared?"

She nodded. "I think so, what do I have to do?"

He took a step towards her and let out a throaty laugh. After a second step without a reply left her feeling more than a little nervous; she took a step away.

Aiyoru continued to approach her and placed a hand over her mouth. "Mist: it lacks any significant physical form, but should the vapors be compressed, it then becomes the more dense water, which, when used as a bunshin, does have a form."

Still laughing, he restrained her movements and headed for the window.

* * *

_Since I've noticed it's hard to tell when there's been a change of scene, I've added the line to show when it happens._

_Man, I really need to pay more attention, I _just_ noticed the site. For anyone interested, I'm going to (eventually) post an original story or two over there._

_Sorry for not having updated for so long, my laptop's hard drive got erased, then broke, then my video card died, and all the while, the 'm' key wasn't working right. Still hasn't been fixed, but now I have an alternative._

_Now for reviews:_

_**theif-uchia**: It'll be NaruHina, I can't resist using that pairing (Avid NaruHina fan), but I can also say that Sasuke's going to do his best to to turn things towards yaoi. I'll give this away now (since it's still not saying much), but Itachi will see the 'new' Sasuke._

_**Alixen**: Thank you for the information and constructive critisicm (which is what I'veactually been hoping to receive since I started this fic).I tried to explain a bit why Aiyoru can beat Naruto in a fight (of kage bunshins). Aiyoru's 'omniscience' is intended as a bit of a joke, like how Sakura and Ino knew about the late night 'mouth-washing' and Sasuke knew about Jiraiya. I'm glad you're getting some laughs from the story. This may come as a bit of a shock, but Iruka is actually one of the characters I respect the most. His odd behaviour is just done for laughs and I sometimes think that (behind the scenes) he _really_ wants some more attention. I hope you'll continue to enjoy this fic._


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9:

Naruto slept peacefully that night, until the sound of shattered glass caught his attention. Jerking up in bed, he looked to the window to find shards scattered on the floor. He then began cursing his luck and how repairing the window would set him back. Turning his head, he found a kunai buried in the opposite wall.

Seeing a note tied to the weapon, he got out of bed and picked it up; not conscious enough to consider the possibility of an exploding tag.

_"Damn it, who'd do something this early in the morning?"_ He broke away from his thoughts long enough to look at his clock._ "…this late at night?"_

Naruto's eyes quickly scanned the note and he suddenly his eyes went wide as the pupils narrowed to slits. Hastily grabbing his gear, he burst through the already broken window.

_I challenge you to a death match._

_If you refuse, I'll kill my hostage – Hinata; after having some fun first, though._

_If you don't come alone, or speak of meeting to anyone, I'll kill her._

_Meet me at…_

_-Aiyoru Asagin_

* * *

_"Why won't these damn marks go away?"_ Kiba thought angrily, staring at the glowing lines on his forehead left from his encounter's with Kumi. _"It's not a wound because it'd have healed by now, and it couldn't be a seal… the chakra would have dispersed after this much time and it wasn't completed all at once."_

Akamaru whimpered and he quickly patted him on the head. "Don't worry Akamaru, we'll hide out in the forest for a while. There's no way she'll find us there."

As he stood up to make his move towards the trees, Kiba couldn't help but notice an orange streak in the sky.

* * *

"Here he comes, Hinata_-sama_." The silver-haired shinobi laughed. "Let's see if he has any hope of defeating me."

In an instant, a glowing orange figure stood across the clearing from the villain and his hostage.

"Let her go." He spat.

"Hmm, then you'd have no incentive to fight me. Of course, to make this fair, I can't allow her to offer you any assistance." He laughed, placing a chakra-filled hand on her forehead.

Naruto watched, horrified, as her eyes rolled into the back of her head before going limp on the tree she was tied to. At that sight, his hatred for Aiyoru grew more intense and the orange glow escalated to a flaming pyre.

Aiyoru simply burst out laughing. "This! This is what I've been waiting for. Fight me at your best so that I may feel the exhilaration of true battle!"

As the feral adversary charged headlong, the ninja made several hand seals, ending on the seal of the tiger.

"Lance of the Dragon!" He yelled; a seal appearing in the air before him, sending a pillar of lava hurtling towards Naruto.

Too enraged to dodge, he took the attack head on.

"Second level!" The masked man laughed, cutting a strand of wire with a kunai.

From the trees surrounding the clearing came scores of kunai, shuriken, and senbon. Many of them plunged into the lava in the spot where Naruto's body would be.

"Heh, a physical and chakra attack. Survival is-"

From the end of the lance, came a claw fully formed of chakra. It whipped out raked the man's chest. He fearfully watched as pieces of his ribcage went along with the talons.

An instant later, Naruto's body was out of the attacks as well, slightly burned and with steel stuck in his limbs and torso.

"I-impossible! The chakra needed to repel that… damn it! I'll pack more into the next one!" He hissed, performing the hand seals yet again.

Before they could be finished, Naruto was right in his face. Terrified, he attempted a counter by performing a roundhouse kick to his head, but the attack was caught by a clawed hand. Its grip tightened until the bone offered no more resistance.

Dropping the man to the ground, Naruto slid other hand into the man's chest; destroying his lung and heart.

"_Excellent! Absolutely perfect!" _Kyuubi laughed. _"Now kill the girl! Satiate your bloodlust!"_

"_I'm not going to kill Hinata-chan."_ Naruto replied, calming down; pulling out the weapons in his body as his eyes returned to their natural shade of azure. _"What is with you and killing everything, anyways?"_

"_No reason… oh daddy, why didn't you love me…"_

"_Huh? You had a neglectful father?"_

"_Uh… yeah… neglectful… wait, did you say Hinata-_chan_?"_

Naruto looked to Hinata's unconscious form and sighed.

"_Yeah, I did…" _Looking down at the slain man, Naruto scowled. _"Why'd he do it? And am I that strong, or do you really give me that much strength?"_

"_Heh, of course, kid. There ain't anyone better than me!"_

Naruto stepped past the carcass and began untying Hinata. Once she was down, he managed to get her on his back and he began walking home.

Halfway off the battlefield, she stirred and a puff of smoke came from the remains.

"Hinata-chan? Are you alright? Aiyoru didn't do anything to you, did he?"

She muttered something incomprehensible.

"Hinata-chan?"

"It wasn't Asagin-san." She whispered. Her face was red and it was all she could do to not stutter; perfectly content, though nervous, to be so close to her precious.

"Eh? But…" He headed back to his opponent and saw a fat, black-haired man. "What's this? Just a minute ago-"

"Henge…"

"_Henge, then where's the real one?"_ He thought.

"So it was just some psycho kidnapper? Well… I'll take you home. Can you walk?"

"Ano… I…"

_"What do I do?"_ She panicked. _"I want to stay like this, but if I tell the truth he might not think that I'm so weak… but I might not get another chance like this… what should I do?"_

_"A-ano…" _Inner-Hinata whispered. _"Maybe you s-should stay like this…"_

"Ah, if you don't mind, I'll just carry you; you must be tired. Besides, you're pretty light." He laughed, slight blush visible in his cheeks.

"A-arigato… for this and for saving me…"

"No problem. I'll be there for you anytime. But hey, Hinata-chan… is there someone you're interested in?"

* * *

_Sorry for taking so long to update, I was hoping to be able to post the link to my story on but I'm not having any luck getting an account (darn e-mail problems), so the link will have to be in my next chapter (if anyone cares)._

_Wondering what's going on with the story (with Aiyoru, not NaruHina)? I hope so._

_Now for reviews:_

_**KunochiDreamer**: glad you enjoyed it, hope you like this one too._

_**thief-uchia**: well... although I don't want to get rid of readers, I don't want to lead people on; so don't expect much in the quality of yaoi. I'm not very good at common romance as it is (so lonely...), but I do have some brief plans (Kabuto and...; Itachi and...). So far, it'll only be brief 'cameo' appearances. However, since it'll please at least one fan / reader, I'll try and find some opportunities for and 'awkward situation' at the very least. Unknowingly, I have put in a sentence or two that could be misinterpreted. My friends, who I originally wrote this story for, love the opening line of the first chapter: "_Sasuke panted heavily as he made his way gradually further from both the site where he left Naruto's battered body and Orochimaru's waiting grasp._" Think about it for a minute._

_Well, I'll try and have another chapter posted by next weekend. Hope you're enjoying it._


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10:

She nestled her face where his neck met his shoulders so that he wouldn't be able to see her blushing face; causing Naruto's face to redden even further.

"T-there is someone… b-but…" Hinata stammered, trailing off without ever finishing.

"I see…" Naruto replied unhappily.

_"Wait a minute!"_ He thought, perking up.

His mind slowly drifted back to everything that had happened in the past. The offer to cheat during the chuunin exam, the medicine she gave him after his fight with Kiba, his kiss with Sasuke…

"_Damn it! Why does that always have to come up in a flashback?"_ He wondered, shaking his head to clear away the memory. _"It wasn't even relevant!"_

… And then the key element to get the puzzle assembled, she had been learning to make ramen.

"Hinata-chan, is it me?"

"_Arigato, Asagin-san…"_ She thought, nodding.

A foxy grin spread across Naruto's face and his step gained a slight skip. "Sugoi! I'd better take you home now before your dad gets paranoid." He laughed.

* * *

Aiyoru pulled on the strings of chakra bound to his fingers a few more times before releasing them. _"That thief served his purpose."_

Getting to his feet, he began packing his things. With the last of his favors having been completed and no more offers for work, there was no reason for him to stay.

"_Good to see there's some joy in the lives of the two most miserable people of Konoha."_ He thought to himself, feeling rather smug that _he_ had gotten the village idiot to get the hint. _"Well…one more day wouldn't kill me…"_

* * *

By the light of dawn, the chirping of the birds, and snoring of the Hokage, Kakashi had been found.

The two ANBU stared as the door to Kakashi's place swung open and they found Ebisu.

"What are you doing here?" The first guard asked. "Or rather, is Hatake Kakashi present?"

"Yeah… why?"

"Who's there?" Genma shouted from inside.

The second guard perked up. "He's in there too? Who else has been hiding here?"

"Give me a minute…" Ebisu replied wearily, stepping back inside for a minute. "There's also Raiden, Jiraiya, Shikato, Akimitchi-san, Yamanaka-san, and Anko… oh there was also some guy in a black cloak with red clouds on it, but he left after hearing about there being ANBU here."

"Alright, and what is everyone doing here?"

"You guys haven't heard? Kakashi got his hands on a special edition DVD for Come-Come Paradise."

"Really?" The first one shouted. "Can I come in?"

"Wait…" the second muttered, scratching the back of his head. "You've been watching it for all this time?"

"Well, we've been watching once for each setting. You should have seen the frame-by-frame showing of last night… wow…"

"Uh-huh… can you explain why Anko is there too?"

"There are guys in the movie, too."

"Man, stop harassing him and let's get to the movie!" The first one shouted, hoping around like a small dog without a bladder.

"First we need to ask Kakashi about the outsider, Asagin Aiyoru."

"He's a close friend and living saint!" Kakashi yelled. "Now let's get back to the movie!"

The first guard let out a whimper.

"Alright, go. I've got to deliver the message to Hokage-sama." The second sighed, disappearing in a flicker.

He didn't stop moving until he was before Tsunade and he had explained to her the situation.

"Well, if he says so… wait… Come-Come Paradise was right in front of you and you came _here_? What kind of a man are you?"

"_Damn it, this _again_…"_ The ANBU thought unhappily.

* * *

Naruto sat happily in the park, waiting for Hinata who, after he had brought her home last night, had agreed on a date with him. He had arrived early, not wanting the already brittle Hinata to worry about being stood up.

"Ano… Naruto-kun?" A gentle voice whispered from behind.

"Eh?" He looked over his shoulder to find Hinata.

Instead of her normal heavy jacket and pants, she was wearing a sleeveless yellow top and matching shorts.

"_K-kawaii!"_ He thought, jumping to his feet.

"Am I l-late?"

"N-no! Early, actually! Shall we get-"

A loud scream came from nearby and he couldn't help but jump.

"Sakura, this is a joke, right? He couldn't have figured it out, right?" Ino asked in disbelief.

"He's standing right there; just ask." Shikamaru sighed. "Oi Naruto, what are you two doing?" Naruto's reply came in a foxy grin and a raised pinky. "There, you see?"

An unknown, though familiar face ran up to Naruto and began giving a thorough noogie. "It's a miracle, how'd you get the clue? Did you finally tell him, Hinata-san?"

She smiled politely but didn't give a vocal response.

"Itai! Cut that out… thick-brows?" He asked, looking up at the shaggy-haired guy with dark glasses.

He pulled of the glasses, revealing the trademark eyes.

As soon as they were off, Sakura came running over and put them back on for him. "Remember the agreement: only if you keep those on."

"What happened to you?" Naruto asked.

"Asagin-san said that because my 'unique style' was why Sakura-san didn't like me, so I just put my hair like this and it hides my eyebrows as well."

* * *

Aiyoru couldn't help but smile as he saw the fruit of his labour. Even if things didn't last in the end, at least they'd have these joyous moments before then. Of course, he wouldn't be around to see that; business had died, except for that from a blond kunoichi, and so there was nothing left to do but move on to the next town.

"So you're the one that allowed that idiot to notice my daughter." A stern voice commented from behind him.

The voice nearly caused Aiyoru to fall from his perch on the edge of the roof.

"You'll do anything for money, I've been told."

"That is true. You're interested?"

Hiashi grinned. "Once I hire you, there's no turning back."

"I could care less." Aiyoru sighed, falling back so that he was lying down with his legs over the edge of the roof. "As long as I get paid a proper amount, I'll kill any morals I've got."

"Keep that boy away from my daughter. As strong as he is, it is only because of the demon; I cannot allow such a taint to occur in my family. Money is no object; do you accept? Will you ruin that which you have accomplished?"

Aiyoru stared blankly at him for a minute before shrugging. "Consider it done; though I've one request."

The stern Hyuuga gave a slight nod for him to continue.

"Let them have this one day. After that, I can guarantee they won't so must as say hello for thirty months."

* * *

At the end of the day, Naruto fell happily onto his bed; everything was right with the world. Before he could fall asleep, however, he heard the perverted laughter that he knew so well.

"What is it, Ero-sennin?"

"How soon you forget, brat. The Akatsuki, remember? They want Kyuubi? Is any of this getting through to you?"

"Yeah, I remember them; I've got everything packed. Just wait until… kuso! I won't be able to see Hinata while I'm gone!"

"Don't worry, I'm sure that pink-haired girl or Tsunade will tell her. Now let's get going."

* * *

"You must be tired from your journey, Sasuke-kun." Orochimaru purred. "I'm so glad that you decided to come."

Sasuke glared at him. _"I just need to tolerate this, and then I can force Naruto to do anything I want. Just don't appear like someone who can become his boy toy."_

"Show Orochimaru-sama some respect!" Kabuto snapped. He then leaned over so that his mouth was next to Sasuke's ear and hiss: "If you weren't around, I'd have him inside me _right_ now."

"Kabuto, stop harassing my precious body… I need my drugs."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "That explains the nurse's outfit, but why the… on second thought, I'm not even going to ask…"

* * *

Akamaru let out a whimper as he curled up in his master's arms.

"Don't worry boy, we'll head back soon… in a year or three…" Kiba muttered.

* * *

_Ah, I was afraid this one was going to take a lot longer. Well, here it is, I've reachd the 3 year gap that has occured in the manga._

_Still trying to get an account on of course he's not going to die, what would have been the point of deciding a creature for him if I never use it. Fufufu, a reader who boasts the strength of one of my characters... I like. And yes... 'neglectful'... where is it demons come from anyways? Does the whole 'mother' and 'father' demon, etc..._

_**KunochiDreamer: **glad you're enjoying the chapters, there'll be more in the future._


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11:

As the leaves of the trees surrounding Konoha flickered in the wind, the white-haired man and his apprentice passed the threshold of the town's gate. Out of excitement of having returned home, the blond genin hastily mounted a stone pillar and looked over his hometown.

"The place hasn't changed." Naruto sighed, his gaze drifting towards the rock face and spotting the addition of Tsunade amongst the Hokages.

_"I wonder how Hinata-chan is doing?"_ He thought, sliding down from his perch and running for the Hyuuga residence.

* * *

"Kabuto! Come quick, my body has escaped!" Orochimaru cried. "I knew I should have used a leash." 

Obviously pleased, a wide grin spread over Kabuto's face. "Don't worry Orochimaru-sama, you may always use my body."

"Oh, I do enough of that as it is…"

* * *

"It seems… pretty safe." Kiba whispered hesitantly as he returned to Konoha. Akamaru let out a couple cheerful barks and began running around. "Really? You can't smell her at all?" 

Another happy bark was his reply and he began shouting for joy.

"_Alright, now I'm going to make that Aiyoru bastard pay!"_ He thought with a grin. _"And I'll make him get rid of these damn marks on my forehead."_

* * *

"Oi, Hinata! He's back!" Neji shouted, bursting into the room where Hinata sat. 

"Really?" She asked excitedly, getting to her feet.

"Is that so? It's a shame…" Aiyoru sighed, appearing mysteriously from the far corner of the room.

"You're still here? I thought you left about the same time Naruto did." Neji commented.

A sweat bead rolled down his forehead. "I've… been living here all this time. I've passed you in the hall every day for the last two and a half years."

Neji stared at him blankly.

Aiyoru finished that discussion with a cough. "Moving on… I've got some regretful news for Hinata-sama. I've been hired by your father to prevent you from seeing Naruto. Not just dating, you may not even speak to him and I am to ensure that it happens."

The two Hyuugas stared at him, agape. At that moment, Aiyoru wished that he had been carrying a camera.

"Nani!" Neji screamed. "Didn't you go thought a lot of trouble just to get them together?"

He nodded.

"Then why the hell would you take this job!"

"I'll do anything for money. Even something I'm against." He said coldly before suddenly revealing an abnormally cheery attitude. "For example, I made an extra fifty ryou today for renting a bunshin out to Temari that allows her to remove its-"

"Whoa! Hey, isn't that saying a little too much?"

"No, saying that I'm fully aware of what she's doing to it and – oh! There's goes the mask. Eeah! That tickles!" He cried, blushing.

* * *

Kankuro and Gaara had first exchanged concerned looks years back when Temari had first been seen wasting money on clones. At that time, however, it seemed harmless enough (for an obsession). Now with the extra feature that she had chosen, it had become creepy. 

"This has got to stop, Kazekage-sama." Kankuro commented, his head hung in shame.

Gaara nodded in agreement. "Someone needs to be the replacement for the bunshin. Kankuro-"

"Oh Kami-sama, no! Gaara, you are sick! Sick! She's my sister!"

A sand bead rolled down the redhead's temple. "I was going to ask you to go get that Shikamaru kid she seems to get along well with."

"Huh? Oh. Uh, well he seems to be going out with Ino."

"How about the Uchiha? No… wait… right, he's after Naruto. There's that dog kid."

"Kiba? He's after Hinata. That is, if he were still around. No one's seen him since Naruto left."

Desperation began setting in. "The fat kid?"

Once again, the puppeteer had to shake his head. "He's developed a bit of a fan club."

"I know Lee is with the pink-haired girl… who's left?"

"I'll go looking, Kazekage-sama."

"Very good… oh, and we'll discuss your odd behavior later."

* * *

The two patches of red clouds moved swiftly through the woods, the material billowing in the wind. All of a sudden, their attention was snared by an odd sight. Not far in front of them, there was a skipping, black-haired man in a dress. 

"Isn't…isn't that your brother?" Kisame asked.

Itachi stared at the skipping figure a few seconds longer before moving into his path.

"Huh? Onii-chan?" Sasuke asked.

_"Damn it… it is him."_

"Sorry onii-chan, I'm not interested in you anymore. I just spent the last few years training for something else."

"Dare I ask what?"

"I'm not telling." Sasuke pouted. "Oh… wait for me my little daffodil!"

With that, he made his way around his brother and continued skipping towards Konoha.

Kisame walked over to his partner, who had an incredibly disappointed look on his face. "Looks like your clan really is screwed."

"B-but… does he _have_ to be _that_ weird about it? I mean sure, a number of people figured it out for me but… they were all mostly fan girls who didn't care otherwise…"

"Yeah, but there wouldn't be any normal people figuring it out if you stopped making all those jokes about catching my 'eel'."

"Come on, you know you like it."

* * *

Naruto reached the front gates of the Hyuuga residence and slowed to a halt. Closing his eyes, he took in a deep breath. After two and a half years, was she still interested in him? Had she found someone else? 

With a shake of the head, all those thoughts were dispelled. _"Hinata-chan isn't that kind of person. Now just calm down and-"_

"Hello Naruto." An oddly familiar voice greeted.

Naruto opened his eyes and saw the same masked face that he remembered from the past. "Ah! Aiyoru-sensei. How's it going? You're still here?"

"Yes, I'm 'still here'. As a matter of fact, I've been living with the Hyuugas since you've been gone. The master of the house pays quite well."

"Pays? For what?"

"Nartuo, by the orders of Hiashi, you may never see your precious person again."

* * *

_Sorry for not having updated last week. On the bright side, I finally got an account on FictionPress. For anyone interested, I've uploaded the first chapter of my story. Look for author 'Shintoshi' or Story 'Spirit War'._

_It's an Action/Adventure/Romance story that will deal more with romance for the time being than fighting (not that there isn't any). The basis of the story is that there are some people gifted with (a) trait(s) that develops faster than with normal humans and can develop to super-human limits; the trait is known as 'Spirit'. If it sounds like your thing, check it out. If not, there's still this one. _

_Now for reviews:_

_**theif-uchia: **interesting theory about demons. Could very well be true. I'm glad you liked the whole Come Come Paradise thing. The Akamaru thing... I don't get it..._

_**TimeShifter: **Not quite what you expected, ne? All that he did was guarantee those 30 months (for obvious reasons)._

_**KunochiDreamer: **Glad you liked it._

_**writerlover101 **& **Gohen-fire**: Sorry for taking so long, but I'm glad you're enjoying the story._


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12:

"N-nani?" Naruto stammered, eyes wide and slack-jawed.

"Sorry, but a job is a job; as long as he's paying me."

He stared into his dispassionate eyes for a few seconds in silent desperation before letting out a cry and lunging forwards, trying to barrel him over in hopes of entering.

Digging his feet into the ground, Aiyoru caught the blond teen – halting his movements immediately. "You weren't the only one training. Although your sempai put you through a lot more than I did for myself, I was still stronger to start."

Naruto gritted his teeth and tried to push at least another step forward. As he did so, Aiyoru whispered two words into his ear before landing a knee to his stomach.

The impact drove the wind from Naruto's lungs and he dropped to the ground.

"I'm permitted to use as much force as necessary. If I have to kill you, I will. Hiashi told me any 'politics' can be handled by him."

Having regained his breath, Naruto got back to his feet and glared.

_"Let me loose kid, I'll do to him what I did to that imposter."_ Kyuubi growled.

_"No chance, I can't let you loose inside the town, and I don't want to kill him. I'll disable him in five minutes on my own; just a clever kage bunshin and henge combo… maybe a body swap and I'll be inside with Hinata-chan"_

As if he could read the thoughts, Aiyoru began several familiar hand seals and created several bunshin.

Growling, Naruto began his own jutsu before being interrupted by a loud shout.

Looking up, he spotted Kiba and Akamaru's trademark attack; whirling at top speed.

The first of the clones took the attack head on, raising a stone barrier and blocking the attack enough to stop Akamaru's spin. Immediately afterwards, Kiba's attack broke through the damaged wall and he destroyed the first bunshin, along with the three behind it.

Ending his attack, Kiba noticed that there wasn't another opponent around.

"Huh… did the little bastard run off?" He spat, sniffing the air and looking around.

"Kiba?" Naruto asked.

"Eh? Naruto? Man you've grown. You've got something against Asagin too?"

"Yeah, he was trying to keep me from Hinata-chan!"

"Huh? So you mean… as long as he's around, Hinata-chan will be available?"

"Uh… well I wouldn't want to say it like _that_ but-"

"Alright! Get out of that tree you long-haired freak! You just earned my forgiveness!"

Dropping to the ground from a nearby cherry tree, Aiyoru cracked his knuckles and neck as he let out a sigh. "Now it's two against one. You'd better just take my advice. Leave."

Nodding, Naruto turned away. Throwing one last longing look at the Hyuuga residence, he took off running.

_"I'll take your advice, Aiyoru-sempai. Just you wait."_

'Find allies'.

Finally back in Konoha, Sasuke only managed to go two blocks before being barreled over by an over-energetic shinobi.

"Hey, watch where you… Sasuke?" the blond genin asked, slowly becoming excited. "Yatta! I'm glad I ran into you, I need your help."

"You know I'd help you with _anything_, Naruto-kun." Sasuke said, placing a hand on his thigh.

"Really? 'Cause I… are you wearing a skirt?"

He nodded, much to Naruto's discomfort.

"I need to defeat… please tell me that's a senbon down there…"

"Senbon!" Sasuke snapped. "I'll have you know… no, never mind, just finish talking."

"Well, do you remember Aiyoru? Well, I need you to help me beat him, and Kiba, in a fight. As long as he's around, I can't see Hinata-chan."

Sasuke starred at him for a few moments. "So you mean… as long as he's around, Naruto-kun will be available?" He yelled excitedly.

It was Naruto's turn to stare before he slowly removed Sasuke's hand, got to his feet, and took off as fast as his legs could carry him.After a few minutes of running down random streets, he stopped to collect his thoughts.

"Naruto-nii-chan!" a squeaky voice greeted from the doorway of a nearby house.

Looking up, he saw his old friend Konohamaru waving.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Naruto asked, jogging over.

"Some other guys and I were brought here by Kankuro."

Letting out a sound of confusion, Naruto looked around the inside of the house and found Gaara, Kankuro, Shino, Udon, several random villagers, and a rather displeased Neji.

"What's going on here?"

Neji looked up. "Practically a kidnapping; apparently the line 'I already have a girlfriend' doesn't apply to these when you're talking about Tenten." Receiving a prolonged blank look from Naruto, he decided to explain. "Temari has been disturbing her brothers because she's been renting lewd Aiyoru bunshin. To get rid of this habit, they've abducted all the single guys in hopes of snapping her out of it."

"Everyone is complaining about having to be Temari's boyfriend?"

"Just me. Everyone else is getting rejected. Is there something you're here for?"

"Yeah, I'm trying to find people to help me get rid of Aiyoru. Could-"

"Gomen. He did me a pretty big favor, so I'm not willing to fight him. I'll still see if I can help in other ways, though."

"I may be of some assistance." Shino said from behind.

"Heh? Really! Sugoi! Now it's a fair… you can beat Kiba, right?"

He nodded.

"Sugoi! Though I should find someone else to help me deal with Aiyoru, this is a good start. Oh! I know, hey Gaara! Would you mind-"

"If I get involved, this down will be turned into a desert. I could offer you Kankuro, however."

Naruto thought about it for a minute. "Well…"

"Oh, screw you, like you're so much better than me!" He screamed because of the hesitation.

"Ah, fine; if you want to help that much."

Konohamaru walked over and grinned as he pointed at himself.

"No." The three replied.

"Aw? Fine, can I at least suggest someone?"

"You're not talking about _him,_ are you?" Neji asked, suddenly concerned. "That's dangerous… someone who can take that much damage and still be alive can't be human… and that he's a shinobi master only makes things worse…"

With such a description, Naruto couldn't help but ask: "Who?"

* * *

_Who indeed. A mysterious and fearful shinobi master appears. Great revelation, or disappointing let donw? Find outnext time in: "Shinobi for hire". Out of curiosity, can anyone guess who it is they're talking about? Just so you know, yes it is someone who's existed before this point of the story (OC or otherwise)._

_I must say right now, it would appear that the end is nearing for this story. At it's current rate, it will probably be over somewhere betweenchapter 20 and 25. Don't hold me to this though._

_Now for reviews:_

_**thief-uchia**: broken? Oh well. Here's the next chapter._

_**TimeShifter**: actually, all he had said was that if they were to have their one day, he could guarantee that they'd be apart for the 30 months, meaning Aiyoru wanted them to have one day together before he was forced to play his new roll. As he is still on Hiashi's payroll, he still has to keep them appart. As for your statement about being Yondaime's son: yeah, I too think he is. But who's to say Yondaime was rich? Look at Tsunade, she's technically in debt from all those years of gambling. Sure he may have been pretty well off, but that money could all be gone during the time Naruto was growing up. As for your hatred for the KibaHina pairing, how do you feel about the KibaKumi pairing (KibaOC)? OCs have been introduced for a reaon, even if it's not obvious (maybe writing too much)._

_**DemonCloudStrife**: woot!A new reader! Glad to find out that you're enjoying it._

_**KunochiDreamer**: once again, I'm glad you seem to be enjoying it._


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13:

Neji and Konohamaru looked at each other for a second, both nervous, before replying: "Iruka-sensei."

There was a long silence, one that was ultimately broken by Naruto. "You're kidding, right? The last time I saw him fight, he got a giant shuriken in his back and I had to go bail him out."

"Exactly!" Konohamaru replied. "Normally one of those should tear you in half; sensei is an indestructible shield."

"Well… I don't know… I don't think Iruka-sensei will be happy as a living shield…"

"Wait!" Came a shout from an unknown location.

At first there wasn't anything other noise, but then there came the sound of a stampede, and then came Iruka – bursting through the front door.

"This 'living shield' job you speak of… it'd get me some face time, right?"

_"'Face time'? What does he think this is? A TV show or something?" _Kyuubi asked.

"Uh… yeah, sure… face time… lots of it. Are you sure you don't-"

At the simple mention of face time, Iruka went off on a series of cheers about being noticed.

* * *

"Hinata-sama, you have a guest." Aiyoru announced, leading Kiba into her room.

"Kiba-kun? Why are-"

"I heard about your break-up with Naruto, so I figured you…"

_"… would be on the rebound."_

"… would want some company."

"Really? Arigato… though we haven't really 'broken up' it's just… my father hired Aiyoru-san to keep him away."

"Well, nothing can be done about that. You know, Hinata-chan, I've always lo-"

"Hinata-sama, you have another guest." Aiyoru announced, opening the door for another visitor.

As this person stepped in, Kiba's face became ashen. He picked up Akamaru and made a dash for the window. Leaping, he slammed headfirst into the glass, only to fall to the room's floor, clutching his head in pain.

"Ah! Shit! What the hell? Does your dad you reinforced glass?" Kiba shouted as Kumi walked over and began moving a charka-filled finger along his forehead until the seal was finished.

_"Is there anything charka can't reinforce?"_ Aiyoru wondered, dispelling the charka from the window.

"Arigato, Aiyoru-san; here's the other half of the money." Kumi chirped, handing him a hundred ryou. "Come now, Inu-kun; I want to teach you some 'tricks'."

Kiba, seemingly having forgotten about his damaged skull, got to his feet and began following her out of the room with Akamaru at his heels; who bore a matching seal.

Now alone with Aiyoru, she looked up at him and noticed his eyes were showing that he wore a friendly smile. "He was going to keep you and Naruto apart as well."

"Arigato… but couldn't you stop as well?"

"Not as long as your father is paying me. I may do some wretched things in my trade, but I'll do it honestly. I can't betray my employer unless he betrays be first."

* * *

Naruto looked at his team and a foxy grin spread over his face. "Alright, everyone get a good night's rest, we attack first thing tomorrow morning."

"Really?" Shino asked, raising an eyebrow. "I would have expected you to demand we attack immediately."

"I'd like to, I really would, but I learned from Jiraiya that I can't rush things quite so much. We'll attack tomorrow when we're all at our best."

* * *

The following morning, just as the sun was rising, the four gathered in front of the house's gates.

"No sign of Aiyoru… I wonder how far in we'll be able to get before he shows up."

Stepping across the threshold, a kunai shot down into Iruka's foot. The first one to notice it, however, was Kankuro.

"It looks like we've been discovered." He muttered pulling three scrolls of his back and unrolling them on the grass. Performing several seals, the writing on the scrolls disappeared and atop each stood a puppet.

"Fetishist…" Shino muttered.

"So everything ends today." A stern voice commented, gradually getting louder and clearer. "Although it doesn't need to end like this; just walk away now and forget about my daughter."

The group of four (and three puppets) stared at their opposing four man group.

"I'm not backing down. You will lose and I'll get Hinata-chan back." Naruto growled, making an effort not to release Kyuubi.

"Very well." Hiashi sighed. "Sasuke, you handle Naruto. Aiyoru, you take care of Kankuro and his constructs. Neji, you take care of Shino. I'll worry about Iruka."

"Neji? But… I thought you-"

"The he'd what?" Hiashi laughed. "Support your relationship? Help you defy me? As you know, on his forehead he bears the branch family seal. Even if he does side with you, he'll have to fight for me, or else he faces death."

"Hiashi-dono, if I may, allow me to handle the bug user." Aiyoru said.

"Very well, but you'd better not waste too much charka."

Shino stepped to the front of the group and let bugs flow from his body until his arms were engulfed in insects. "Do not look down on the Aburame clan; the greater your charka, the greater the feast."

Reaching into his pouch, Aiyoru drew a small metal container and threw it at Shino's feet. "I have no intention of using any charka in this battle, whatsoever, Hiashi-dono."

At first Shino tensed up, but relaxed upon noticing that it wasn't a shinobi tool. "What sort of device is this?"

"It is something I obtained in a convenience when traveling through Grass country. They're available to the public at a fairly cheep price. I won't bore you with the details because, you see, I've already stalled long enough."

As the last syllable was pronounced, a cloud of noxious air poured out of the canister and the poor shinobi dropped to the ground, twitching involuntarily.

"Such a wonderful invention: roach bombs. They work on your insects too."

"We are at an advantage, I'd say. "Hiashi grinned. "Neji, your turn; defeat the puppet master." The sound and feel of wind gave him sufficient warning to lean back, narrowly avoiding a critical blow to the temple. "Y-you impertinent child!"

"Uncle," Neji shouted, "how ironic that I'll do just as you say, and defeat the one pulling the strings!"

* * *

_Shino and Kiba - already out of the battle. And... I've got nothing important to write._

_Time for reviews:_

_**TimeShifter**: Good thing you don't care; now Kiba and Akamaru can live happily ever after as the submissive 'pets' of Kumi._

_**thief-uchia**: actually, guy you pointed out in the qutoe is Aiyoru Asagin._

_**Donut-Nin**: Yes he is, and yes they do._


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14:

Narrowly avoiding another attack, Hiashi quickly got into stance and prepared to fight. _"I'll use the seal if this goes on too long, but it'd be best if I did this by hand."_

"I'll take care of Hiashi. Don't just watch, break through!" Neji cried, charging forward yet again.

Kankuro sent his puppets flying towards Sasuke, hoping to pull the same maneuver as he had with Sakon.

As one made its way behind him, Sasuke began gathering charka into his hand. Going along with the plan, when Karasu closed in on the front, he leapt back and into the puppet's container. Immediately afterwards, he swung his hand about and shattered the puppet's torso.

"_Shit… I'd just bomb the place with poison but then I'd probably kill my team as well… what should I-"_

"I am your target, Kankuro-san." Aiyoru hissed, appearing from behind and slamming a fist downwards into his collarbone.

There was a satisfying snap followed by an unfamiliar sound of pouring sand. Blades snapped from 'Kankuro's' chest and ensnared the mercenary in a steel deathtrap.

"I thought you were supposed to know everything about each of us." Kankuro grinned from atop the Hyuuga residence's fence.

"I thought you'd put up a bit more of a fight." Aiyoru replied.

Glaring at his opponent, he pulled the strings to have his puppet's scythes tighten. As they did so, Asagin's body dispersed into a fine cloud of fog.

"_What the… where is he? Left? Right? No… he's…"_

Looking up, he saw a glowing blue hand falling towards him – an attack that could be none other than Raikiri.

Closing his eyes – it being too late for a body-swap – Kakuro waited for death. Hearing, instead, the sound of steel meeting flesh, he opened his eyes to find his adversary falling to the earth with a kunai, stuck up to the handle, in his windpipe.

Hitting the grass, the weapon was driven in even further so that the tip showed through the back.

"_What? Who… Neji is fighting his uncle, Shino is down, and Naruto is fighting Sasuke… at least, I hope that's what Sasuke is doing… who…"_

"Are you alright?"

Looking over his shoulder, he couldn't help but feel like crying.

"Oh come on… I was saved by _Iruka_?" He whined. "You were just supposed to be the shield."

Iruka proceeded to rub his knuckles on Kankuro's skull. "Hey, I _am_ a chuunin, not to mention a distinguished shinobi instructor. Just because I got owned once, doesn't mean I can't do anything."

Hiashi looked over at the corpse staining his lawn red and shrieked in anger. _"Damn it! He was supposed to be stronger! I guess I'll have to use the seal already."_

Neji lunged head-on yet again; concerned only with keeping Hiashi on the defensive, when he saw him raised a hand in preparation for the seal.

_"I'll wait until he's within striking distance. Then I'll stop him in his tracks and land a finished hit."_

Grinning, Neji brought his hand back, ready to strike, when his uncle activated the seal.

* * *

"Temari, we need to talk." Gaara sighed, stepping into her room.

"About what?" She asked, running a hand along over her rental's stomach.

"This; even I can tell you that you need to spend time with actual people and not just a fake. For the love of Kami-sama, find a _real_ boyfriend."

She peered over her shoulder and gave him a strange look. "Nani? I've got someone back home."

Gaara was stupefied. "Huh? But… this… a strippable bunshin… in your room the entire time…"

"Yeah, that's because of this." She explained, removing her hand from the bunshin's stomach, allowing him to get a good look at the markings around the navel.

"That's… a demon seal, isn't it?"

She nodded. "I've been doing research on it. Apparently it belongs to a demon named Kaiho."

"I've never heard of… wait, if you only recently began renting ones like this, how'd you find out about the seal?"

"Oh, I found that out after peeping on him at the hot springs."

A bead formed on Gaara's forehead and he lowered his head. "We'll need to have a talk after this…"

* * *

Seal activated, Hiashi just needed to wait for him to writhe in pain so that he could land his attack.

Neji simply laughed and drove the palm of his hand into his uncle's forehead, sending charka though the body and knocking him out almost immediately.

The last thing he heard before his world went black was Neji saying: "Those days are over."

* * *

Naruto wiped a trickle of blood from his mouth and nose as he looked up at Sasuke, who had yet to take a wound.

_"Damn it, he must have done more training than I did… I can't go at him like I did like last time… what can I do?"_

"Naruto-kun, just give up on this silly little farce and become my flower. I promise I'll make every night fun for you." Sasuke purred, almost directly quoting Sakura.

"Sasuke… ew… no! I'm not interested. I'm here for Hinata-chan; she is the only one I see, and the only one I want."

"Tsk, tsk. Come on, be true to yourself. That kiss must have meant something to you."

"Give it a rest!" Naruto screamed.

_"… Plan… I need a plan… flower… wait… flower! That's it!"_

Getting to his feet, Naruto brought his hands together and began molding charka form his fan favorite jutsu.

"Naruto-kunn, you know nothing you can do will work on-"

"Oiroke no jutsu!"

Sasuke stared at his new form for several seconds before tears began to flow like a river. He then proceeded to run away with an arm over his face.

Reverting to normal, Naruto looked about to realize that Hiashi was unconscious and Aiyoru had his throat pierced.

At first he was thrilled by the realization that nothing stood between Hinata and himself. Staring at the body for a few moments, however, brought about a wave of nausea and guilt.

* * *

_Hiashi is down, Sasuke is turned off,Aiyoru is lying in a pool of his own blood. What remains for our hero Naruto? Find out next week (hopefully)._

_**thief-uchia**: Yeah, poor Shino. I had to do that because it was such an obvious joke... and I wouldn't have been able to write his fight scene that well._

_**KunochiDreamer**: Is this a satisfying one?Is thiseven theoutcome of the battle? Keep on reading._


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15:

"H-he was only doing what he was being told to do… he didn't have any grudge against anyone, he didn't want to kill me... he gave me advice, training, and helped Hinata-chan and I get together… killing him… you went too far, Kankuro."

"Hey! I was the one that did it! Praise me!" Iruka pouted.

"Um… I was complaining."

"I don't care."

Kankuro rolled his eyes. "He chose to fight, if he let himself be bought off, it was his own fault."

"He's right." Neji agreed, closing his eyes. "You should go to Hinata-sama now."

* * *

The seal exposed on the bunshin began glowing a bright red and orange, surprising Temari because of the sudden change from its normal somber black.

Gaara stared at it without too much surprise. "The demon is becoming active."

* * *

As the team attempted to cheer up Naruto and convince him to see his precious, one of Aiyoru's hands twitched as burning charka flowed from his navel and reanimated him.

Returning to his feet, he reached to his neck and quickly worked the kunai from it. Lines of charka moved into the wound; knitting the flesh and mending bone.

"The contract is still active. Naruto is still attempting to visit Hinata-chan, use as much force as necessary." He muttered out loud, drawing the attention of the four.

"Th-this is impossible! No one can survive a wound like that!" Neji cried. "Not the Akatsuki, not a Kage, no one can survive a destroyed throat!"

Aiyoru laughed and reached for his mask. "Then there could be only three possibilities. One, I am a corpse moving by unknown means. Two, Iruka's attack miraculously missed and I have been able to recover. Three, I've recuperative skills beyond your wildest dreams."

Dropping the mask to the ground, Aiyoru continued to laugh. Glowing, curling red lines began to appear over his body in a way that reminded them of the Sound's four cursed seals.

"Your chances of winning are poor, I advise you to retreat. If you refuse, I'll take care of you one at a time. Neji, even if you think you have some sort of debt to me for removing you from the curse, think again. As one of their allies, you are my enemy and will be treated as such should the group continue to fight. Besides, I want to fight you."

Grinning, Neji looked to Naruto for orders. "If you're going to continue, I'll follow you."

Kankuro gave a nod. "Running away now would mean accepting that I'm weaker than _him_." He said, pointing to Iruka.

"I can't let one of my students get hurt when I know I can help." Iruka stated, moving to the front of the group. "I took him down once, I can do it again."

Tears coming to his eyes, Naruto thanked them and agreed to continue on.

"You've got some good friends, Naruto-sama." Aiyoru sighed, moving his hand to his katana's hilt momentarily before leaving it alone. "Who shall I fight first?"

Iruka motioned for everyone to back away, drew a kunai, and cautiously ran in to make another fatal strike.

Disappearing in a reddish-orange blur, Aiyoru reappeared in front of Iruka and brought a fist up into his jaw. As the blow connected, his body was replaced with a log. Spinning around, he brought his hand up and caught Iruka by the face as he dropped to deliver a blow to Aiyoru's head.

Despite the catch, Iruka's arms were long enough to drive his weapon into Aiyoru's jaw, shattering bone and dislocating it so that only flesh left it attached to the rest of the head.

Falling backwards, snakes poured out of Aiyoru's sleeve and drove their fangs into Iruka's face and neck.

Their poison began sapping his strength and removing him from the conscious realm; Iruka quickly drew another weapon and slid it between his opponent's ribs and into his heart.

Both of them hit the ground, but only Aiyoru returned to his feet. After he pulled out the kunai, his wounds healed and even more of his body was covered in the glowing lines.

"First time anyone outside of the Akatsuki that has dealt me two fatal blows in a fight. Of course with them I was smart enough just to stay down and wait for them to leave. That aside, who's wants the next fight?"

* * *

"So who's this 'Kaiho'?" Gaara asked.

"Well, compared to the other well-known demons, she's pretty weak. Her charka is probably on par with a regular chuunin."

"Kaiho is no threat?"

"Far from it, she's the incarnation of flames, the immortal firebird known as the phoenix. Whenever it is killed, it revives itself; restoring all of its lost charka. Alone, she's not a big threat because of so little chakra, but Aiyoru is some kind of genius to be able to have such an immense store of it. The two combined make a perfect team; the almost indestructible combine with the sheer beauty and strength that is Aiyoru." She finished, partially groping the bunshin.

"'Almost indestructible'? So how can you stop him?"

"I'm working on it. There's not much to work with. Most of the demon's abilities I discovered from studying the seal."

* * *

Kankuro stepped up with his one good puppet and prepared himself mentally for the battle. Despite his loss of two-thirds his forces, he was in no way less effective because now he could concentrate all his efforts on the one instead of three at a time.

_"A simple hit in a vital area won't get things done; I'll have to try something less conventional. Whatever the method, I won't lose."_

Once more, Aiyoru's hand moved over the hilt of his katana, but ultimately decided against using it. "I look forward to round two." He smiled.

* * *

_Aiyoru the immortal? He goes down fairly easy, but keeps getting back up; how will this fight end? Stay tuned._

_Review time:_

_**KunochiDreamer**: I suppose for your question, the answer would have to be 'yes and no...'._


	16. Hiatus

_Sorry, but the story is going to be on a bit of a hiatus - studying for final exams is taking up most of my free time. The next chapter will be up by the end of the month, I promise. Until then, if youwant, place your vote for this poll:_

**Naruto poll:**

Which genin is the biggest pervert or most disturbing? (Konoha and Suna only)

Naruto – Sexy no jutsu. Need I say more?

Sasuke – No older than thirteen and already wants to "resurrect his clan".

Sakura – Guaranteed Sasuke that "they'd have fun every day were he to stay".

Kiba – Spends too much time with his dog, acts too much like a dog, takes orders from his dog, and doesn't seem _interested_ in humans.

Shino – Wears a high collared jacket to hide his face, dark glasses to hide his eyes, stares at people for long periods of time, and let's not forget how he placed insects on Sasuke and Kankuro to 'find' them.

Hinata – Eyes that can see through anything, stares at Naruto (never at his face), and is always blushing as she looks at him.

Shikamaru – Always with Chouji, bought him a fruit basket and gave it to Naruto, finds women troublesome, one of his favourite expressions features the words "pain in the ass".

Chouji – Takes life-threatening pills for strength.

Ino – Constantly jumping on Sasuke (most likely hoping to jump Sasuke), and tries to seduce others (need I remind you of her stunt with Neji?).

Lee – Emulates and thinks a little too highly of Gai, and comes on to Sakura every chance he gets.

Tenten – Runs off into the woods with Neji for a month

Neji – Eyes that can see through anything and thought his cousin is cute

Gaara – Blood-thirsty, demon-possessed, mentally disturbed insomniac.

Kankuro – Plays with life-sized puppets/mannequins/dolls.

Temari – I've got nothing.


	17. Chapter 16

Chapter 16:

Kankuro watched carefully for openings in his opponent as he began planning. Even if he didn't have a concrete idea at the time of the opening, it would be an opportunity to take him down and prevent him from rising.

"Any time now." Aiyoru grinned. "I had you beat last time, so you'll need a handicap I suppose. Make the first move… or would that be a disadvantage? Tell you what, make the choice for me."

Scowling, Kankuro pulled on his charka strings and sent his little soldier flying.

_"So vulnerable to instigation; I expected better of you."_

Concentrating charka into his feet, Aiyoru charged towards his opponent, drifting to the right. Not particularly threatened by the hooded opponent, he decided to dispatch him with simple measures.

Bouncing to the left and forward while extending his left arm, Kankuro's chin found itself resting quite uncomfortably atop Aiyoru's arm. Unable to breath, he collapsed to the grass.

"Holy… Kankuro!" Naruto shouted once the body hit the floor.

"Relax, I know how to pull my punches; he'll be fine. Who's next?"

Naruto stepped up.

"Very admirable; it is your fight, of course. I hope your training has paid off."

Receiving only an angry grin, Naruto pulled out a shuriken and threw it.

Calmly sidestepping, he concentrated charka into his feet and began running. When he got into close proximity, he curled his right hand into a fist and brought it in, pouring in charka as Tsunade does for her strength.

Moments before the blow landed, wisps of smoke appeared before him. On impact, he found his hand caught in a bunshin's hands.

Releasing the stored charka, it burst, leaving a smokescreen; one that, before disappearing, allowed a kunai to find its way between Aiyoru's eyes.

Dead once more, he fell to the earth.

Knowing what would happen shortly after, Naruto set to work on a rasengan and thrust it into his back.

The force of the spirally winds shredded the mercenary's torso, barely leaving anything for the man's arms to remain attached to.

Staring down at the bloody mess, Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Hey Neji, do you think I overdid it?"

* * *

Temari let out a noise to notify Gaara that she had discovered something. "It seems that the only way to stop his regeneration is to seal off the demon."

"Isn't it already sealed away?" He asked.

"Yes and no. Like with you, the demon is only sealed inside of you, but its powers still mix; that's why you can still control the sand. A second seal would need to be added to cut off the power. The only way to do that is by adding an odd seal to an even one or vice versa. Aiyoru's is even so…"

"Then we can only hope that someone in Naruto's group can figure it out and pull it off." Gaara sighed, considering it for a minute. "Well, he has a way of having everything work out."

* * *

One of Aiyoru's arms twitched, like that of a recently crushed insect's, momentarily before snapping around and clutching the hilt of his katana.

The hole in his torso filled with charka seconds before being replaced with flesh, and he got back to his feet.

"You've improved, Naruto." He laughed, drawing his katana. "Are you prepared for round two?"

"Naruto, take a break. I'll fight him this time." Neji announced, placing a hand on his shoulder as he stepped forward.

"Neji…"

"_Damn it, not him! If you're not careful, we'll really be killed!"_ A silky voice cried from inside Aiyoru's head, causing his eyes to go wide.

"_Kaiho-"_

"_If he seals off your charka points, you'll be fighting with my capacity only. In that weakened state, he'll be able to seal you off again and then you can't revive!"_

"Shit…" Aiyoru muttered, sheathing the katana and imitating Neji's stance.

"Instead of using your weapon, you're going to fight me with my own style?"

"I know your abilities." Aiyoru replied flatly. "I can only counter speed with speed, and the katana slows me down. As a matter of fact…" Trailing off, he unfastened his mask, sheath, and geta, dropping them all to the ground.

Neji could only offer a confused look. "I understand the sheath and geta, but why the mask? Is it weighted like with Lee?"

"No… but every little bit helps, ne?" Aiyoru smiled.

The two shinobi dashed straight at one another and began their melee that even Naruto found difficult to follow.

Between attacks and parries, Aiyoru performed one seal at a time. In time, Neji realized his intention and hastily put a fair distance between himself and his opponent.

Finalizing the jutsu with the seal of the tiger, innumerable sigils appeared in the air about him.

"Phoenix Flame: Death and Rebirth." He shouted as the sigils shot out until the area was enveloped in a done. Rapidly, everything in sight began turning shades of red and orange.

The world inside the dome began increasingly hot; within thirty seconds, Neji and Naruto were breaking a sweat.

"What do you think? This is the ultimate power bestowed upon me; if I let this go until the end we'll all die, but I'll be resurrected. Surrender now, relinquish Hinata-sama, and never return or else I'll be forced to kill you."

"_This had better work, Kaiho. I'm not going to kill anyone, and this moves needs to use your charka in addition to almost all of my own."_

"_Don't fear. If necessary, just wait until the heat makes them swoon."_

Aiyoru nodded and looked down to notice a small fire breaking out on his sleeves.

"_Hey boy, you're not going to let something as small as this take you down, are you?"_ Kyuubi growled. _"Damn it, here; let me take care of this."_

The infamous red charka began flowing from Naruto, forming a protective shell, repulsing all heat.

Neji, knowing his charka reserves could not save him from the now breathtaking heat, did the only thing he imagined possible: attack.

* * *

_I'm finally back!__Updates will continue as normal, though not for much longer, as the story is coming to close. Everything might be wrapped up by the end of Chapter 18._

_And thank you **SolaNin** for voting. Yes, he can be such a pervert some times' like why did he know what a harem was at that age? And he's was idiot._


	18. Chapter 17

Chapter 17:

Getting him within range of the trademark attack, Neji began 64 Hands of the Divinity.

With each strike, Aiyoru's eyes grew larger; he knew that with every passing blow, his life was that much closer to its end. When the jutsu ended at last, he fell to the charred earth and stared up at the red sky.

"_I can't win… Kaiho, what'll I do?"_

There was silence.

"_Kaiho? Are you… what the! My chakra is still…" _Getting back up to his feet, he realized that it was the demon's energy that had been sealed off and not his own. _"This… this is even worse! Phoenix Flame: Death and Rebirth took up almost all of my chakra; stopping it now would leave me with enough power for only one more attack…"_

With Neji still standing battle ready and Naruto comfortable thanks to Kyuubi's abundance of chakra, Aiyoru had no choice but to conserve his own power by ending his ultimate jutsu.

"Surrendering?" Neji asked, relaxing his stance slightly.

"Sadly, no; your master paid me to fight to the death if so necessary. Although I do not desire such an end and have no chance of victory as it stands, I am willing to accept the outcome."

Curses became audible from behind him. Turning his head, Aiyoru found his benefactor drawing a kunai and dizzily getting to his feet.

With yet another curse, Hiashi sent the kunai flying. Being in an unfocused state, the projectile was far off its mark and, instead, found its way straight for his pawn's head.

"_Not like this!"_ He thought fearfully, gathering the last of his chakra.

As the weapon neared his head, it seemed to almost evaporate into little more than a small quantity of metal dust; slight traces of blue flickers appearing between Aiyoru and the projectile.

Completely spent, Aiyoru collapsed to the ground. All was not lost, he decided, reaching for his tool belt and drawing forth a small pill. Struggling with even this amount of movement, he managed to consume the soldier pill and could feel slight amounts of energy restored to his body.

Raising himself to his feet, he found Neji standing over him, ready to land a finishing blow if necessary.

"Don't look like that." Aiyoru replied with a sigh. "You guys won; the fight's over."

"What!" The three conscious shinobi shouted.

"Didn't you say just a few seconds ago that you're going to fight to the death?" Naruto asked, stepping over.

"Traitor!" Hiashi growled.

"You broke the contract." Aiyoru replied. "Even if it wasn't your intention, that attack was directed towards me. Betrayal by the employer nullifies my contract; therefore I have no reason to fight. Naruto, go on to the mansion; Hinata ought to be in her room."

Stunned momentarily, the trademark foxy grin spread across Naruto's face as he nodded and took off.

"As for me, business is dead here, so I'll be moving on; so long, it's been fun." He smiled, picking up his things and heading off.

As Aiyoru came to the wall marking the city's limits, he couldn't help but throw one last look at what had been his home for the last three years. _"Thanks Naruto-sama, I'll take care to remember you, for we may one day meet again… perhaps after you've started a family."_

That last line of internal monologue brought a smile to his face and he performed a simple jutsu and watched as his mask was assimilated by the wall. Reaching into his pack, he drew another and set it upon his face.

"_Until we meet again, Naruto-sama… Hinata-sama…"_ With a nod, he leapt off the fortification and into the forest below.

* * *

Running down the halls of the Hyuuga residence, Naruto found the door to Hinata's room and threw it open. Running in, he found her and quickly wrapped his arms around her, refusing to let go.

Finally, both were truly happy and no longer alone.

* * *

_Thus this story comes to a close. Did anyone notice that Aiyoru never did use that katana of his? Does anyone care?_

_By the way, although this is over, it is not yet "The End". I have plans for making a sequal (of sorts) but that won't be coming around for some time yet._

_Thank you all for reading, believe it or not, thanks to your support this has been the first story I've ever finished. I hope (if you enjoyed this one) that you'll read the next when it becomes available. Until then, feel free to read my stories posted on FictionPress._

_Once more, thank you and good day._


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